DEBORAH ROMOTSKY CORTES Obituary (1944 - 2016)

Deborah Romotsky Cortés, 71, Mission Hills, Kansas, passed away on November 1, 2016, while traveling in Peru. Funeral services will be at 11:00 am Friday, November 11, at The Louis Memorial Chapel, 6830 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO with burial to follow at Rose Hill Cemetery. Kindly omit flowers. The family suggests contributions to the Romotsky, Price, Cortés Genetic Testing Fund at Congregation Beth Shalom, 14200 Lamar Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66223; the Scholarship Fund at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, 65 E. Wacker Place, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60601; or Houston (Rice University) Hillel, 1700 Bissonnet, Houston Texas 77005. Debby was born November 11, 1944, in New York, NY, the daughter of Myer and Sylvia (Fleischmann) Romotsky. She moved to Kansas City over 50 years ago after meeting the love of her life, Gary Cortés, at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Debby was a devoted supporter of the Rice Owls and her home reflected that love. Debby attended Rice and graduated with a B.A. in English from UMKC after moving to Kansas City. Debby led with kindness and promoted caring and beauty in her endeavors. She and Gary engaged in adventures at home and abroad together. Debby devoted much time to a variety of volunteer activities throughout the community including at Congregation Beth Shalom. She was a creative person, engaging in crafts that beautified the lives of those around her: knitting, sewing, stamping, gardening, etc. We will miss her handmade cards and gifts and the personal, kind touch she brought to all she did. No remembrance of Debby would be complete without noting the love she had for her family and her devotion to their every activity, traveling all over the country to be there for birthdays, holidays, sporting activities, music programs, and everything in between. As well, she had a passion for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals. Debby grew up in a baseball family, but embraced Gary’s love of football and made it her own. Debby was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Miriam Romotsky. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Gary Cortés; her children and their spouses: Rita Cortés and Mary McLean, Natalie and Brian Gurin and Marc and Emily Cortés; and her four beloved grandchildren: Adam Gurin, Rachel Gurin, Eli Gurin and Miriam Cortés. The family would like to thank Miguel Pacsi Mayo for his kindness and care of Debby and Gary during their time in Peru and to all who helped them return home.