Deborah K. Davis

May 30, 1957 to November 1, 2019

Deb Davis, 62, of Carroll, died Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, at her home in Carroll.

Funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Carroll First United Methodist Church in Carroll with Pastor Terry Plocher officiating. Burial will be at Carroll City Cemetery. Honorary casket bearers will be Jeff Cayler, Mark Heino, Kevin Eischeid, Wes Niles, Jim McCullough and Jon Baak. Current and former members of the Carroll Police Department will form an honor guard for the service.

Visitation will be held from 5 until 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll. There will be no visitation prior to the service on Wednesday morning.

Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll, and online condolences may be left at www.sharpfuneral.com.

Deborah Kay, daughter of the Rev. H. Allen and Eileen (Besch) Wirtz, was born May 30, 1957, in Dubuque, Iowa. As a young girl, Deb lived in Estherville, where she attended school through the 10th grade. She subsequently graduated from Davenport Central High School in 1975.

In the eighth grade Deb decided she wanted to be a police officer. She attained her associate of science degree in law enforcement from Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois, in 1977, and then a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Buena Vista College in 1980. That same year, she was hired by the Carroll Police Department as the city’s first female police officer and graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. In 1997, Deb received trauma to her chest, ending her law-enforcement career. She was then employed by Lou Walsh Motors until the business was sold in 2012.

On Feb. 14, 1990, Deb was united in marriage with Leigh Davis. Their favorite place to be was next to each other, they were inseparable. The only time they were apart was in 2004-2005 when Leigh was deployed to Afghanistan. Deb was a Family Readiness Group (FRG) co-coordinator during Leigh’s deployment and received many awards in this role. Deb loved being an Army wife and was a great supporter of all soldiers, mailing letters and care packages to over 40 military friends during various deployments and referring to them as “her” soldiers. In 2015, when Leigh’s health deteriorated, Deb became his full-time caregiver until his passing on Dec. 29, 2015.

Deb was a faithful member of First United Methodist Church in Carroll. She was a fan of NASCAR and enjoyed blogging, reading, scrapbooking, and writing letters to family and close friends. She and Leigh enjoyed going on cruises and watching movies at home. Deb took pride in always having a spotless home and considered her pets, Bowser, Bear, Bandit and Blooper, all deceased, her children. Deb donated her hair four times to Locks of Love, and arranged for a fifth and final donation to be made after she passed away. She wanted to be remembered for being kind to everyone.

Deb is survived by her mother, Eileen Wirtz of Carroll; sister, Vicki McGowan of Moline, Illinois; brother Allen (Nancy) Wirtz of Glendale Heights, Illinois; nephews and nieces Luther Wirtz (Emily Heninger), Brendyn Wirtz, Sydney Wirtz, Melissa McGowan, Debbie (Travis Pulse) McGowan and Anna Rath; great-nieces and -nephews Olivia (Connor Coughlin), Sydney, Brooklyn and Manuel; great-great-niece Mikayla; stepson, Steve (Vanessa) Germany; and granddaughter Taryn.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Leigh, in December 2015; her dad, the Rev. H. Allen Wirtz; cousins Brian Besch and John “Jack” McCullough; her grandparents; and several aunts and uncles.