Obituary

Deborah Ann Runnels Marron of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, the beloved mother, sister, and friend passed away at the age of 63. Born on December 16, 1956, Deborah was the middle child of 7 children, 1 son and 6 daughters, of Billie and Bob Runnels, and grew up in Leawood, Kansas. During her childhood, she spent her time at the local country club and watching movies at the RanchMart Movie Theater. She was a lifelong scholar who started at Cure of Ars, graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School, and finished her formal schooling with her degree in Accounting from UMKC, but continued taking classes and discovering new interests in things such as personal training, creative writing, cooking, and fencing, among many others.
Deborah held a number of different jobs both inside and outside of the field of accounting. A few positions in her varied career include being a shoe and handbag buyer at JCPenney, a criminal investigator at the IRS, the CFO at the Guadalupe Centers, Inc., as well as an auditor for the US Department of Defence.
Beyond working, Deborah found joy and fulfillment by volunteering with organizations she was passionate about, and for which her efforts were only enhanced after retirement. She explored different avenues of volunteering and always had a new story of helping to feed penguins or an interesting show that was in town. She was quick to laugh and smile and loved the opportunity to be able to help bring joy to the community, especially around Christmas helping families get pictures of their children with Santa. She also utilized her expertise in the preparation of tax returns for the people in need at her local library. She did volunteer work with over a dozen organizations in the area.
Deborah loved to travel, she was ever in pursuit of expanding her horizons, seeing various parts of the world while trying new and exciting experiences. From the start, her vacations and travel centered around visiting family, a tradition she maintained, even as her adventures took her further abroad. Though she had a roaming spirit, she always returned to her home in Kansas City.
Deborah was an adored and loyal friend who had a quick wit and charming, memorable laugh. She loved going on long walks to chat with friends or shopping trips where her strong fashion sense and eye for a deal were always a subject of awe. She looked for the best in people and delighted in helping bring that out in them. A sentimental soul who loved that her things all had stories, and for whom traditions brought joy, such as: delivering flowers for May Day, researching horoscopes, or decorating her house for holidays big or small. She also enjoyed antiques, books (both on reading and listening to them) movies, art, shoes, but above all else, she loved her family dearly.
Deborah will be profoundly missed and remembered fondly by her many friends and family members, including her two children, Janis and Connor McCambridge. Due to the current health concerns, no memorial will be held at this time, but if you would like to honor her and her memory, then please consider giving to one of the following causes that she worked with:
Kansas City Zoo: https://www.kansascityzoo.org/donations/
Starlight Theatre: https://www.kcstarlight.com/support/giving-opportunities/