Member Spotlight, Debby Vester
Debby Vester was born in Lyons, Kansas and lived there until she was 5 years old. Her dad worked for an oil company, so they moved to Odessa, Texas, where she first took piano at age 7. Later, the family moved to Thousand Oaks, California and she graduated from high school there. She attended California State University in Northridge, studying music, and took one semester in organ. She majored in Home Economics and planned to teach.
She married her husband, Roger, who is a CPA, and they moved to Midland. By then, her family included her son, Mark. Mark is now in the army stationed at West Point, and flies helicopters. (Ask Debby to show you the pictures!) He is married and has 2 children, Isabella who is 9 and Jackson who is 6. Later, daughter Kelly came along. She is also married, lives in Georgetown, is an emergency room nurse, and is mother to Kaden, who is 9, and Kamryn who is 2 months old. You’ll never find a prouder grandma than Debby!
In Midland, at her church St. Luke’s UMC, Debby was asked to play piano by the choir director, and then he suggested she try out the organ in the church. One thing led to another, and soon she was playing the early service, and later, the other services, and also playing for the youth choir. She’s been playing organ ever since. She was a music assistant as well. She has been playing two services a Sunday for a little over 30 years. Today, of course, she is both director and organist – a fete she is accomplishing superbly.
Her darling mother, whom Debby lost this year, laughed and laughed that Debby became a full time musician because of the fights they used to have when Debby was a child and didn’t want to practice. She used to say, “I can’t believe you ended up on an organ bench!” Of course, Debby thanks her now and her mom was so proud of her.
Debby has taught children and youth from 3- to 4-year-olds all the way up to high school. She loved the times that she would go with her Midland church’s youth choir on their annual summer trips. They travelled many places, including the US, England and New Zealand, playing concerts all the way.
One treasured memory of those trips was when she went with the choir when they did a Wesley tour of England. One concert was in the Wesley Museum in London. Debby got to play on John Wesley’s instrument, a manual organ enclosed in a cabinet with a very narrow keyboard. The thrill of playing the same keyboard that John Wesley played was a once in a lifetime event. The instrument is worth $800,000 today.
Debby likes music because it touches people. She says, “You never know who or why, but it will help somebody. You never know.” Debby says 90% of the hymns in the hymnbook are her favorites, but she particularly likes “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” (just because) and “O, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” because that’s the hymn she played on John Wesley’s instrument.
Remember to listen and appreciate the gift that Debby brings to us at Taylor FUMC. You can hear that all those years of practice paid off!
Written by Robin McKinley
