Obituary: Debra Marie Rokes

Debra ‘Debbie’ Marie Rokes, known as ‘Nana’ by her family, passed away on August 5, 2025 at the age of 63 in Yreka, California.

Born February 26, 1962 in Hawthorne, California to John & Louise Byrnes, Debbie was the second of four daughters. The family later relocated to Hood River, Oregon where Debbie graduated from Hood River High School, Class of 1980, as an avid track and cross-country runner. After high school, Debbie attended Southern Oregon State College in Ashland, Oregon where she met her husband Matt, with whom she would share 44 wonderful years. In November of 1985, Matt and Debbie were married and moved to Siskiyou County where they would start a family, eventually settling in Yreka to raise their three children.

Debbie had a passion and a gift for creativity. She was a caretaker, a gardener, a seamstress, a baker, a chef and a lover of animals and travel. Early in their marriage, Matt started his career in Law Enforcement and Debbie stayed home to care for their three children, Christin, Stephanie and Darren. She later went to work as a restaurant manager then started her own cleaning business. Once her kids were grown, Debbie turned her passion for cooking into a full-time catering business, where she did most of her work out of the Yreka Elks Lodge for nearly 20 years. Outside of her love for feeding people she loved spending time with her family and friends, specifically her grandchildren and grand-dogs. Debbie was a truly caring, loving and generous woman whose passion for others showed in all that she did. Many know her for her delicious hand-crafted meals, but her family knew her as the one who cared for us all.

Debbie was proceeded in death by her parents, John and Louise Byrnes of Hood River, Oregon. She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Matthew Rokes of Yreka, her children, Christin Dickison of Grenada, Stephanie Rokes of Oregon, and Darren & Katrina Rokes of Redding, as well as her grandchildren Blake & Bailey Dickison and Adaline & Eleanor Rokes. She is also survived by her three sisters, Sherrie Byrnes, Toni (John) Cherrett and Laura Byrnes (John LaTour).

A celebration of Debbie’s life will be held on Friday, September 12th, 2025 at 5:00 pm at the Yreka Elks Lodge, hosted by the Rokes Family and the Yreka Elks Lodge. All are welcome to attend and share their favorite pictures and stories of Debbie.

sourced: Girdner Funeral Chapel