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Obituary

Family, work, pool, humor made his life worth living

MICHAEL DEBACKER: 1950-2005. Who was Michael Debacker? "Kind of a guy's guy," his ex-wife says. "Very funny." And devoted to his children.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published February 11, 2005

BEACH PARK - At age 54, Michael Debacker was getting ready to start the next chapter in his life.

His new business, Document Security Systems, was about to open. He was planning to fly to Atlanta this weekend to help his daughter move back to Tampa so she could work with him.

But on the morning of Feb. 3, Mr. Debacker's son, Nicholas, a student at Plant High School, found his father lying dead in bed. He had died in his sleep of heart failure.

His family remembered him primarily as a devoted and generous father.

"He loved teaching us how to do stuff," said his daughter Kelsey, who still plans to move from Atlanta and work in her father's business. "He always set the bar high, but he was always there to help us."

Debacker came to Tampa from Wichita, Kan., with his then-wife, Colleen, and their four children, Kelsey, Carly, Caitlin and Nicholas. He came for the warmer climate and because of health issues unrelated to his death.

He was a commercial photographer and had operated his own business in Wichita. After working for another company in Tampa, he opened Michael Debacker Photography in an industrial park near the airport in the mid 1990s.

"He was an excellent photographer," his ex-wife said. "He always had a very artistic mind."

Working for himself allowed him to be available for his kids' activities, she said. He usually drove them to school and for many years coached his son's Pony League and AAU baseball teams. (Nicholas is now a pitcher at Plant High.)

He had a talent and interest in computers and worked in several technology jobs after he closed his photography business. He planned to focus his new venture on the electronic storage of essential business documents.

Besides his work and family, Mr. Debacker's passions included pool. He was an expert player, and among the many people at his memorial service were his buddies from Planet 9 Ball.

"He was kind of a guy's guy," his ex-wife said. "He was very quick-witted and very funny."

Kelsey Debacker, 25, said her relationship with her father had evolved recently. He was excited about her plans to work with him and get married.

"We were just getting to that point where he was thinking of me as an adult," she said.

As stunned as the family was by Mr. Debacker's death, they said they've been heartened by the support from friends and neighbors. A lot of Mr. Debacker's friends from Kansas came to Tampa for the memorial service, even though it had been 14 years since the family moved here.

South Tampa neighbors also rallied to offer comfort.

"Our house is full of food," Colleen Debacker said. "I feel very blessed by the love and support of this community. South Tampa is a big city, but it lives like a small town."

Besides his children and ex-wife, Mr. Debacker is survived by his mother, Louise Debacker. A memorial fund, the Debacker Children's Education Memorial, has been set up at the Bank of Tampa to help pay for the schooling of Mr. Debacker's children still at Plant High.

[Last modified February 10, 2005, 11:48:06]