Debra Bocim Koehler daughter of the late William T, and Katherine L. (Simpson) Bocim died peacefully surrounded by family April 12, 2025 at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home in Maryland. She is survived by her husband Captain Jay B. Koehler, SC, USN {RET}, daughters Jessamyn Laura Koehler {Fairfax, VA} and Caitlyn Koehler Koennel {Dan}, granddaughters Addison Mae Koennel and Harper Jane Koennel {King George, VA}, and brother Richard T. Bocim {Marcia, Mount Pleasant, SC}.

Debra was born in San Diego, CA on November 14, 1954, and moved shortly after to Doylestown, PA, and then to Freehold, NJ, where she grew up. She graduated from Freehold High School and acted and sang in school plays. Debra attended Ithaca College graduating in 1976 Summa Cum Laude and them entered the University of San Diego School of Law graduating in 1979 with a Juris Doctor. She also passed the California State Bar exam that year. While in law school, she married then Navy Lieutenant Jay Koehler in 1977, became a Navy wife {the hardest job in the Navy}, and jumped aboard wholeheartedly. Debra mixed effortlessly with people, from sailors to admirals, and supported Jay over his last 25 years of service. According to Jay, she was a significant reason for his success in the Navy.

Thanks to the U.S. Navy, she moved to Hawai'i in 1979, passed the Hawai'i State Bar exam in 1980 and practiced general law with two firms and also fell in love with Hawai'i, and its beaches, culture and people.

Relocating to Maryland in 1984, she passed the Maryland State Bar exam and practiced general law until moving to La Maddalena, Sardinia in 1989. While there, she enjoyed the slower paced lifestyle and taught law classes for the University of Maryland University College to active-duty U.S. sailors and dependents. It also kindled her love of adult education. Upon returning to Maryland in 1991, she went back to practicing general law. She loved appellate work, researching, writing and presenting cases to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, now the state Supreme Court. One of her appeals resulted in a change to Maryland law.

Returning to Hawai'i in 1994 courtesy of the U.S. Navy, she was hired as a Judicial Education Specialist by the Hawai'i State Judiciary. In this role, she provided training to court staff and judges over 4 of the major islands. She frequently briefed the Chief Justice and other Justices on her plan for training, and at one point was asked by the Chief Justice to travel to the Republic of Palau in Micronesia to provide training to Palau's court personnel. In 1999 Debra landed in Maryland again and worked as a judicial education specialist providing support to Maryland, D.C. and Delaware judiciaries. She also consulted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration {NHTSA} on legal issues around substance-related laws.

Debra began working for the National Albanian American Association {NAAC} providing leadership training to professional women from Kosova to enable them to be more involved in the country's government and business. Debra traveled to Kosova several times, and NAAC hosted groups of 12-15 women for training each year. Fall of 2006 saw her move to the Maryland Judiciary where she again provided judicial training, and educational work with the National Judicial College. She retired in 2010 but remained active in Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church in Sunday School, bible study groups. choir, and enjoyed going to her weekend house in Lewes, DE, especially when her granddaughters visited. Debra was a consummate Momma Bear, able to find employers who respected her dedication to family and enabled her to be with her girls when needed. She was a shining example of unconditional love, pouring her heart into every moment with her girls. Devoted beyond measure, she nurtured, guided and lifted them with a grace that only a truly wonderful mother could have.

Debra endured worsening health over the past 5 years but has always been a faithful servant of the Lord. Jay often said, "She is the strongest person I know."

A memorial service for Debra will be held 3 May at 1000 at Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church, Waldorf, MD. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church, Doctors Without Borders, or the Maryland Food Bank.