Debra "Debbie" Ann (Bartrug) Cork

Debra “Debbie” Ann Cork, of Wadestown, WV, passed away with her beloved dog, Luci Fur, October 4th, 2019 in a flagrant disregard for Gov. Jim Justice’s burn ban. 

Debbie graduated from Hundred High School as salutatorian in 1973 before she joined the army in 1974 and trained as a computer repairman. Sadly, she never learned how to operate a computer, but that didn't deter her from using one. She received an M16 bronze badge for marksmanship before an honorable discharge in 1975. She worked as an EMT, a notary public,  at US Steel Corporation, as a Legal Secretary, and finally a Medical Transcriptionist until she retired in 1989, blazing the trail as a full-time mom and homemaker.

Debbie had a lot of love in her heart. And air too, as her last appointment with the doctor revealed. She didn’t allow many people to become too close to her, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t love her family and friends with a burning passion. Included in those very close to her aerated heart were Michelle Wakeley, her confidante; Tom Meshanko, the recipient of her only son’s heart; James Kennedy, her friend and neighbor; and the staff at Bobby Rahal BMW. 

Debbie endured a lot of personal tragedy, rife with loss and smoldering grief. She was preceded in death by her son, Christopher “Tom” Cork; her favorite husband, William “Dale” Cork; her first husband, James “Jimmy” Gibbons; her sister, Sara “Sally” Ammons; her niece, Lisa Sollars; her second mother, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Lemley; and her parents, Richard “Dick” and Lucille Bartrug. 

Of those living who she felt a warmth for, she leaves behind her daughter, Sarah James McLaughlin and her husband, Eric; her siblings: Dick and Lana Bartrug, John “JD” Ammons, Kaye Bartrug, Ralph and Sue Bartrug, Rhonda and Ron Askew, Sam and Marty Bartrug; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and new and old friends.
Those that knew Debbie would remember her sometimes dark sense of humor, her predilection for packing heat, her fear of pythons, her love of racing BMWs, and her affinity for Bichon Frises. Some may only have seen the side of Debbie that was quiet, shy, and introverted, but if you are one of the select few that saw her as a live wire, you were special to her and that was special in itself.

Affordable Funeral and Cremation Center in Nutter Fort is handling the arrangements for the Cork family. Online condolences can be made at www.affordablefuneralandcremationcenter.com  

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