A celebration of life for Deb Morrow will be held at 4:30 PM on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Maser Monarch Lodge in Okoboji with a picnic to follow. Arrangements are under the direction of the Robinson Funeral Home in Spirit Lake, IA. Online Condolences may be left at www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com
Debra Ann (Korte) Morrow was born on October 12, 1954, to Ruben and Pauline (Wohn) Korte in Fort Dodge, IA. She passed away on the evening of Thursday, October 8, 2026, in Spirit Lake, IA, surrounded by all of her family.
Debbie was the eldest daughter and older sister to Cyndee (Korte) Dather. They grew up on a farm west of Rockwell City, IA, until she was in 6th grade, when the family moved to the farm in Moorland, IA. As young girls, Cyndee was Debbie’s nemesis, but they became best friends in adulthood, enjoying movies at the theater and hanging out by the water. The sisters both joke that “Debbie was the older/smarter sister and Cyndee is the younger/funner sister.”
Debra graduated with the Class of 1972 from the Prairie Community School of Gowrie, IA. While in high school, she attended an ISU Cyclone basketball game, which helped decide her first alma mater. Debra attended Iowa State University and graduated in 1976 with a Bachelors in Elementary Education. She later “spent some more money” attending University of Northern Iowa, achieving a Masters in Elementary Education in 1993 and then another Masters in Library Sciences in 1997.
Deb scoured the Des Moines Register for her first job that landed her at Harris-Lake Park Schools, where she needed to use a map to find where “Lake Park, IA” was located. As a teacher for more than thirty-eight (38) years, she had positions in the resource room, talented and gifted program, fourth grade classroom, as well as the library and media center. Deb found that each teaching assignment was an opportunity to guide her students while continuing to be a lifelong learner herself. She believed “to plant a seed of learning is to believe in the knowledge garden.”
Debbie and Terry were married on July 8, 1977, at the Excelsior Methodist Church. Terry claimed they met while walking down the street, but it was really a mutual friend who introduced them, because he needed a third person to go water skiing on Silver Lake. She was in awe of Terry’s stories and quips, his kindness, and willingness to carry her bags. Debbie and Terry farmed in the Lake Park area from 1977 until moving to town in 1984, adjusting to city blocks, neighbors, garbage day, and a post office. In the same house, they raised three (3) “only children” in three (3) decades: Nick (1978), Cody (1985), and Noreen (1995).
Deb was a voracious reader with an appetite for all types of books, often consuming several at the same time. She was an avid gardener and showed her rural upbringing by canning or freezing the harvest. Deb truly enjoyed ‘putzing’ outside: mowing and trimming the lawn, sweeping the street gutters, and even vacuuming the landscape rocks. She was active in the community, serving on the library and bike trail boards, volunteering as a school reading buddy, and maintaining an Adopt-a-Highway section of Hwy-9. Deb’s favorites were hamburgers, reading by a swimming pool or lake, and eating supper outside.
Debra was preceded in death by her parents Ruben and Pauline Korte and child “Baby” Morrow. She is survived by her husband, Terry Morrow of Lake Park, IA; son Nick (Brandy) Morrow and several grand-puppies of Sioux Falls, SD; son Cody (Meghan) Morrow and grandchildren Sawyer and Hazel of Duluth, MN; daughter Noreen (Jeff) Greer and grandsons Sullivan and Gus of Harrisburg, SD; and sister Cyndee (Korte) Dather of Okoboji, IA.
Debra Ann Morrow (1954 – 2026): “Laugh too Loud. And when people look at you….Laugh LOUDER”
In accordance with Deb’s wishes, and in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Make-A-Wish, PBS, or the Ronald McDonald House, helping to bring comfort, hope and joy to others.
