Debbie's Sisterhood Ring

Debbie Dill always loved jewelry. She almost never bought any jewelry for herself. She never had too. I was always buying it for her. I loved to surprise her with something really great. One day though she came home with a new ring. She had been out shopping and saw it and instantly fell in love with it. She wore it a lot. Debbie was also a fanatic about keeping her house, sterling silver and of course, her jewelry clean. One day she came home and said, "Look at my ring". I replied, "Yes, it is your ring". "But honey," she said, "see how shiny it is?" Just as shiny as usual," I remarked. "No," she said, "it is shinier!" "Why?" I asked. She smiled and said, "I got tired of polishing it so I had it dipped in platinum".

Well about a month goes by and she had been to the mall again. Debbie always thought that if you found a shirt you liked, you should get it in another color or even all the colors. Well, she came home with another ring except it was in 14kt gold. I asked her how she got it and she told me she just went into the store and asked if they could make her one in gold. The clerk called the home office and they agreed to do it. So now she has both rings.

When Debbie got sick the second time and we found out that she was terminal she wanted to do something special for her sisters and daughters. She decided that she wanted to give each one of them one of the rings. She went to the mall and bought them. She then decided she wanted to get a ring for her mother and sister in laws. One night she asked me if it would be okay for her to give rings to all of the women who had played such a vital part in her life. In Debbie's normal fashion she grabbed a piece of paper and started writing down names. I went to the store and bought all the rings they had and asked them if they could find others. They called other stores around the state and located some additional rings. During Debbie's fight with breast cancer many people came to our house hoping to lift her spirits and make her feel better. However just the opposite happened. People would leave our house feeling like they were the ones who were blessed. During her final weeks Debbie would have the people on the list come to the house so she could visit with them and give them their ring. Also during that time the list grew.

Debbie finally got to the point where she was too ill and asked me if I would deliver the rest of the rings. It was at this time I was told by the store the ring was being discontinued. I really didn't know what to do. Debbie died and there were still names on the list. I finally decided to write Mr. Avery himself. I wrote him a letter and begged him not to discontinue the ring. I told him in my letter what is in the paragraphs above. I also enclosed Debbie's DVD. I told him about all she did for Tulsa and how many people attended her funeral.

About two weeks went by And I received a letter at home from Mr. James Avery. It was written in longhand on his personal stationery. In his note he told me he viewed the entire DVD. He promised me he would not discontinue the ring. about a month went buy and we received a call at the office from one of the stores. An enter office memo was received at the store in forming the employees the ring was being put back into full production and was being renamed to "The Sisterhood Ring".

Now if you go by the store at Woodland Hills Mall the ring is in the display case with a note about Debbie. Now people have been coming in looking for the ring.

One thing I learned from Debbie was her desire to validate people. It didn't matter if you were eight or eighty years old, she would always make you feel important and loved.

I delivered the last Sisterhood Ring in January of 2007. I have the original sack, the hand written list, and the pen it was written with in my closet. It reminds me of her. What an honor to have been her husband. Now, there are plans to have a sisterhood luncheon with some of the proceeds going to her foundation. If you would like more information please register on the link below.