Debbie Timeline highlights
March 20, 1951 Born in Hawthorne CA
1959 Debbie portrays Lieutenant Cable in the Tobias Ave production of South Pacific performed in the Beatty’s patio. The little Lieutenant sings to the lovely Native Lait, portrayed by sister Jan. In act 2 Debbie takes on another role as the drunken sailor wearing half coconut shells across her chest giving the illusion of boobs, of which she has none, but in later life she more than makes up for it.
1964: As she turns 13, a reefer is discovered in Debbie’s purse and mom takes her to the police station. Hey, back in the day, parents did not know how to handle such circumstances. Although she is not brought into custody, Debbie is humiliated and “hates her mother.” Ya think that incident stops her indulgences?
1968: drag racing on Van Nuys Blvd. in her very own 64 Olds F85. Brother Bill rides in the back and is told to duck when cute guys are cruising in the next lane. This practice is not unique to Debbie, as Jan had created the “duck and cruise “ scenario two years prior when Debbie was also requested to keep the invisible profile.
Fall 1968: In that same red Oldsmobile the high school senior drives her newly 10th grader brother Bill to her same campus. Half way there Debbie convinces Bill that he should join her and friend Kathy Toomey in smoking a joint. Bill has a bad trip and decides that pot is not for him, although he does indulge a bit when older.
June 1969: miracle of miracles, Debbie graduates high school.
Fall 1969: Debbie follows in Jan’s footsteps again, and scores her first job at Davis Machine Company, where Jan once worked. Unfortunately her boss aptly named Dick, takes advantage of his position and you guessed it. Hashtag: #me too.
One month later: Fertility triumphs and in an effort not to disgrace the family, my pregnant sister is sent up to San Bruno to live with sister Pat, husband Rich and toddlers Marc and Doug. Too bad no one took the Wolfe family into consideration. As we all know Debbie is a handful, but just imagine THIS handful on raging hormones. Baby Kimbra is born, given up for adoption and Debbie moves to San Francisco State housing with the Wolfe family and raises havoc, something Deb refers to as living in the moment.
Fall 1970: Debbie moves back to So CAL and surprise of surprises, yet again she follows in Jan’s footsteps—literally—to become a postal carrier. During this time she hooks up with a girl for the first time -that we know of (likely not)—and moves in with conquest in Palmdale on a ranch and commutes 40-some miles to work. She arises before dawn to make it to work on time. From the bottom of her soul she realizes she is not a morning person, so she finds a substance that helps her become one.
1971: Debbie discovers other mind-altering drugs and life becomes one big party. Her heroes now are Timothy Leary, Jefferson Airplane and a new group of friends, Donnie Douglas, Barbara McGrath and others with whom she becomes intertwined in the drug and free sex culture. She tells of her escapades to her little brother. Although I’m impressed as I think it is cool, but I am also scared for her. Hey, by now I’m only a punk senior in high school.
1972 One night while picking up hot fudge sundaes at Foster’s freeze, she meets Diana and Mickey. A life changer. These girls are Buddhists and they tantalized Debbie with spiritual awakenings. She agrees to go to a meeting. Before you know it Debbie has a gohonzen -- a Buddust shrine-- in her bedroom and she is chanting endless hours daily and attending meetings. She even joins the organization’s gun core and in parades she marches proudly while and spinning white peace rifles above her head. Seeing is believing, and I saw.
1971 What does all this chanting lead to? For now, no drugs, but also a new career! Picture this: Debbie wearing a starched-stark white mini-dress with napkin-sized hip pockets, a little collar, ¾ sleeves and white orthopedic shoes to match. Hard to imagine, but true. She enters dental hygienist school. Mom and dad foot the bill. However, this marks the beginning and end of her professional career. Although brother is proud, the career is doomed from the start. She discovers how much she loathes putting her hands in people’s mouths. Who wouldn’t? She finishes the course but career lasts only a couple months.
In the coming years Debbie’s bent, the one toward the meta-physical world takes hold. She studies Tarot, numerology, astrology, crystal healing and reflexology. One day she finds a sensitive pressure point in the arch of my right foot and tells me I need to watch out for back problems. A perfect diagnosis.
1972: Meanwhile back at Buddhists community Debbie discovers a virtual gold mine: women loving women. Debbie falls for Liz Hughes and moves into her tiny Hollywood bungalow. Everything in Liz’s environment is controlled. From Liz’s stark-white jumpsuit -- perfectly pressed and form fitting, to her polished knee-high boots and impeccably applied make-up. Liz’s car? A meticulously restored vintage MG convertible she had painted Rolls Royce gold. She boasts how she ordered the paint from the England factory. Again, Debbie loves cruising—this time on Santa Monica Blvd, top down with her honey behind the wheel. Debbie who is usually all over the place becomes a follower of neatness and structure. Can you imagine? A Liz clone, if you will. Yes, she too wears a white jumpsuit. And Liz decides that she be called Elizabeth, and she starts calling her significant other as Deborah. The relationship lasts longer that I expect.
1972 Also during this this era she meets lifelong friend Kyle and their paths cross often during the coming years until Debbie’s passing in November 2017. The connection? House painting. But not just working partners, they become unexpected soul mates. Debbie with her high energy, outgoing demeanor and no boundaries held contrasting Kyle’s calm and steady hand and grounding tendencies. Their first living quarters involve separate beds, in fact separate domiciles in the form of motor vehicles. Kyle sleeps in her sedan dwarfed by Debbie’s Chevy 2–ton truck parked in the next space at Venice beach. Their daily life looks something like this: A morning ocean swim, go to the painting job, back to Venice, sun, swim, clean up, then go out disco dancing until all hours then return to the parked vehicles for a good night’s sleep, unless Debbie hooks up with someone the night before and then meets Kyle on the job. During the next four decades they live together in various places throughout Los Angeles, Palm Springs and Arizona where they finally land back in Sedona. Interspersed here, Debbie lives with family members, Jan, Pat and Bill. Mostly Jan. Of the forty-some places Debbie has lived, half of those were with Jan with whom she had a love-hate—but mostly love relationship. They are bonded like twins and know each other inside-out.
1973: Debbie finds her new calling that’s a far cry from dental hygienist. She becomes a lineman, a cable TV installer. Tools belts, climbing poles and butch clothing become her new norm. During this period friends and family benefit receiving free cable TV. Debbie’s philosophy? Always share the wealth.
1975-1976- Debbie moves down to San Diego to live with Jan, has an affair with a waitress that Jan works with, and becomes a maid at a beach mansion on Coronado Island. Her mark has been made.
1978- 1984: Back in Los Angeles. Painting houses with Kyle, dance class with Terrance and me, and then teaching aggressive aerobics at Studio A. She lives briefly with Terrance and myself and then gets her own apartment in the complex, a colorful group live in this 18-unit complex reminiscent of Maupin’s “Tales Of The CIty”
During this time: At Studio A she acquires an entire new circle of friends: Patty, Belinda, Jane, Zo, Adele, to name a few. She has a relationship with Tamar, a psychologist PHD candidate with a high- IQ but who also loves to play. Next: Debby Williams and her husband take Deb’s aerobics and become big fans. In fact, Debby Williams becomes such a fan that she and Debbie Brown “hook-up” as the kids today call it. Divorce ensues and the Double-Debs are now an item set up house in a 1930s hillside pad overlooking the lake. At this home, renovations occur and then several parties. One yearly memorable event is the superbowl party in the basement tiki lounge. Also with this relationship come vacations to Hawaii, Jamaica and other sun destinations. And then there’s the control. All well intended, but the other Deb helps sis set up a painting business with an actual business license, logo and embossed checks.. As it turns out structure frustrates my free-spirit sis.
During this time: Debbie meets motorcycle-mama Keatley (Jennifer)and many others at the Flamingo, a Silver Lake gay bar where ping-pong tournaments are the main event. Debbie usually wins.
1985: Meanwhile, the duo of Debs move up to Big Bear, California where life seems idyllic. They purchase a pontoon and every board game imaginable and life becomes a semi-retirement state. Here, Debbie meets Rios and Sherry and they become lifetime friends. However, trouble brews by the lake as my sis has an affair with Donna and in true Debbie fashion she reveals this to her partner, and Debby Williams cannot handle the betrayl. They split up.
What happens next is a bit cloudy in my mind, but she moves into Jane’s Griffith Park home while Jane is living in Hong Kong.
Then there’s the early 90s. A muddy period in my mind. Dad passes away, and then Michael (my life partner), and who debbie refers to as her water-soul mate. They both loved to be in the water—any water—and always naked. .
Somewhere around this time period, Deb moves to Bullhead city to live with mom. Mom tells me she is going to “help get Debbie off the drugs.” That plan takes a different path. Following arrival, the party begins. Mom and Deb become a duo where they head across the river to Laughlin to gamble. Debbie hooks up with a new circle of friends. Who knew that Bullhead City was the Colorado River’s meth capital? Not long after this osteoporosis consumes every bone in mom’s body and Debbie is now caretaker, a trait she had always excelled it. Mom’s bones crumble and before long she is unable to get around. A hospital bed is set up in the living room and Debbie becomes the 24/7 nurse.
2003 Mom passes and Debbie sinks into a depression. Alexandra, a friend of Bill and Kevin’s offers Debbie her Echo Park attic apartment. Bill and Debbie caravan back to this new home. This is a dark time for Debbie. Depression brings immobility. Kevin introduces Debbie to psychiatrist Dr Joe, and an antidepressant cocktail is prescribed. After leveling out Debbie perks up, but eventually she decides to self-medicated with Bud light and pot. Ups and downs follow. Jobs with Kyle in Palm Springs. Back in LA she lives where she lives with Bill and Kevin, in a guest house at Patty’s and then at Monsey’s, a high school colleague of Kevin’s, with Kyle in Burbank.
Happy birthday to my active sister Deborah Brown --who is still very alive in my mind.
A speedy timeline of Debbie living in the fast lane by her brother Bill in 2024:
Happy birthday to my dear sister Deborah Brown --who is still very alive in my mind.
Here’s a speedy timeline of Debbie —my sibling who lived life in the fast lane. Highlights:
Birth: March 20, 1951 in Hawthorne CA
1954 Early actions demonstrate that Debbie is energetic, even in her sleep. Three-year-old Debbie knocks on the neighbor’s door at 2 AM, chats her up, and asks if she can sleep over. Neighbor Kay Beatty tucks her in, then calls mom early the next morning and asks if she is missing anything. Debbie does not remember how she got there. Diagnosis: somnambulant—many of her unscripted episodes continue throughout her life. But none as cute as the first.
Spring 1967: My sis gets her driver’s license and makes her presence known on Van Nuys Blvd. She burns rubber from a stop at a green light in Mom’s 1965 Buick Electra. She whips that 4-carb 325 horsepower engine into low, as a blast of air tosses her long thick hair horizontal. She then explains —and demonstrates—to her 14-year-old brother what it means to fishtail. This is the time in life she discovers independence. And I discover what a cool sister I have, but at the same time I encounter a case of the nerves.
1968: More showmanship on the Blvd, but this time in her very own fire-engine red 64 Olds F85 — complete with hanging red felt balls she glued along the perimeter of the headliner. I ride in the back seat while Donovan’s “Hurly Gurly Man” and “Age of Aquarius” blasts on her clunky 8-track, and am told to duck when guys are cruising in the adjacent lane. I oblige, and find it pretty exciting.
1978- 1984: In Loz Feliz, while painting houses, and refinishing hardwood floors for a living, she also becomes the very first aerobics instructor at Studio A Dance. Her fast-moving class is aptly named “Agressive Aerobics” No one can keep up as she tosses her body about the Go-Go’s “we’ve Got The Beat, and songs of the like. During this era Deb lives briefly with Terrance and myself and then gets her own apartment in our complex. I have a vivid memory of approaching the building in my gray and white striped –sagging--leg warmers looking up to her 2nd floor apartment where she leans out the window. It’s here we have some of our best conversations (and laughs) ever, while she downs a budweiser, with lime.
In the early 90s Debbie moves up to Big Bear, CA with her girlfriend Debby Williams for a more genteel life. So we think. We refer to these two as the “Double-Debs” At this high elevation —my sibling discovers downhill skiing, and is once again on the fast track. Whoosh! She’s so proficient that Deb begins teaching skiing to kids. While on this speed run of life, she has a torrid affair outside of her relationship —and gets booted out of the house, and scurries downhill from this resort town.
Winnebago Days: Debbie opts for a home on wheels and buys a 30 footer. Seems appropriate –free spirit and all. No roots. But then there’s the maiden voyage, and the speed thing. . Heading north in I-5, once again flying free and racing up the grapevine she whips the trannie into low, floors it and …….. burns out the engine, and is promptly towed back to LA for a rebuild. The next trip she adheres to the speed limit and eventually ends up landing the beast in a field in the Santa Cruz mountains. However, eventually an array of varmints decide to room and board in these cozy quarters.
Desert Days: Debbie eventually abandons the menagerie on-wheels, and ends up moving to the Arizona desert, and in with our mom. Here, she buys herself a peppy truck. A daily routine: she forges along the banks of the Colorado River leaving clouds of dust behind while giving her Jack Russell terrier Lilly “exercise” running beside the revving truck. Fast truck, fast dog. In 2002 I take my new partner Kevin to meet my mother and sister. Directly following meet and greet, Debbie offers Kevin a ride down by the river. I stay with mom. When he joins Deb and Lilly he expects a scenic leisurely trip. Instead it’s Lilly’s dog run time. I’ll never forget Kev’s return expression and that un-melodic moan.
On that note. I’ll end this race down memory lane. Happy Birthday Deborah Francis Brown.
Eldest Sister Pat Wolfe’s reflections on Debbie
My Sister Debbie
I first met Debbie on Thursday, 3/22/51 at my Grandmas house. When Mom went to the hospital to have Debbie, Jan and I went to Grandmas and we all came home together that afternoon.
I loved taking care of the new baby and learned to be, in my opinion, very helpful. We moved to Van Nuys in December of that year and Debbie spent the rest of her youth in Van Nuys. During that time she formed two friendships that I think helped define her. One was with Linda Christian, they were inseparable until Linda died of Leukemia, in the days when it was untreatable. Both Linda's parents and mine decided to keep Linda’s condition away from both girls. Linda figured it out and wrote letters to the significant people in her life, including Debbie, allowing some closure for her, but for Debbie there was no closure and Linda's death remained, in my opinion, and open wound for the rest of her life. The second friendship was Bruce Elliot, the boy next door. Bruce and Debbie were also inseparable.. Bruce was diagnosed as a toddler with Juvenile Diabetes. As most Juvenile Diabetes did in that era, Bruce challenged his limitation and Debbie was a willing conspirator.
I was enough years older than Debbie that I was often responsible for her care rather than an active playmate. I moved out of the house when she was 11 and I was 17. As Bill once said to me that move-- only to nearby downtown-- seemed to be to the other side of the world. I became the absent sister to all my siblings. During this time Debbie developed her own unique style of challenging social mores and generally doing what she wanted to do. She defined herself as a Tom Boy and shoved aside all things feminine and embraced her self-identified persona. I feel that if Debbie was growing up in today’s world she might have considered changing her gender. But then again, maybe not.
As Debbie matured she embraced a gay life style, Buddhist Spirituality and a Handyman career. Whatever it was she jumped in wholeheartedly and completely. Some examples: She was "out there" being gay before it was acceptable to much of society, and loved to shock people by announcing her preference. Wherever she lived she built her Altar to Buddha and chanted daily. When someone hired her for work it was done with perfection. If not, she would redo something to exactness.
For many years Debbie and I lived in different circles and did not see each other very much, we re-entered each others lives around 2005 when she moved to San Jose. She helped me care for my mother-in-law as she became more unsteady on her feet and needed help remembering some things.
Debbie has been best described by Kyle and I thank you Kyle for the time it took to define Debbie as no one else has ever been able to do so. When Debbie had something to give she was generous with everyone, when she didn't she believed life would take care of her Debbie loved life, embraced what ever was most important to her at the time, loved her family and friends and I do not believe ever met someone who was not a friend. Her legacy is in her openness and her generosity.
