Carol Ann DeBacker

Carol Ann DeBacker passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, November 29, 2020.

Funeral Mass: 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.

Visitation: 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday in Biggers Funeral Chapel with recitation of the rosary at 5 p.m.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers please make donations in Carol Ann’s name to Netrf.org.

Carol Ann DeBacker was born July 5, 1959 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan to the late Albert Joseph and Leona Laura DeBacker. She grew up in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Carol graduated from Lakeview High School in 1977. Highschool is where Carol’s love of sailing began when she became a member of the sailing club.  Carol graduated in 1981 from Michigan Technological University with a B.S. in Wood Science and Technology. She was employed at Weyerhaeuser Co. from 1981-1990 as a professional intern and later in technical sales. In 1990 Carol left her job to sail. She joined a crew moving 42 yachts from the USVI to Venezuela and stopped at many Caribbean islands along the way. Carol met Charles Wildman on the island of Margarita, Venezuela and they were married March 16, 1991 on St. John, USVI. From 1991-2000 Carol and Charles cruised the Caribbean and made stops in Trinidad, Tobago, Venezuela, Honduras, Colombia, and Guatemala. In 2000 Carol came to Texas to work summers to earn money to cruise in the winter. While in Texas her husband, Charles passed away in Guatemala in a boating accident.

After the passing of her husband, Charles Carol decided to stay in Texas and earned several computer programming certifications. She became employed at PDX and worked various quality assurance roles. Carol enjoyed her home that was just a stone throw away from Eagle Mountain Lake. She raced J105 sailboats with Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth Boat Clubs as fore deck crew until her health would not allow her to any longer. She also was a part of the local pug rescue. Carol enjoyed her dogs, Polly, Wally, Oscar Bear, Baxter and Sasee.

In 2014 Carol was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer. She worked four more years until she simply was not able to.  Carol had numerous surgeries and treatments throughout her illness.

Carol is survived by her sister, Deborah DeBacker and her husband, Thomas Burke, Jr.; nephews, Thomas Michael Burke, III and his wife, Lauren Currier and their child, Aidan Burke, Alex Burke and his wife, Lori Yi Long, and Patrick Burke; cousins, Laura Alfafara and her husband, Ron, Richard Van Stenkiste and his wife, Patricia, Marianne McKelvey and her husband, Fred, Claudia DeBacker, Alan DeBacker and his wife, Lynn, and Larry DeBacker and his wife; and many extended family members and friends.