Carmen Yvette DeBoer, 63, of Albert Lea, MN, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 29, 2024 at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City, IA, surrounded by family.

Carmen  DeBoer

A memorial service will be held at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, December 10th at Bonnerup Funeral and Cremation Services in Albert Lea. The family will receive friends at a visitation to be held from 5:00 pm until the time of the memorial service. The memorial service will be recorded and made available after the service has completed.

Carmen was born to Juan and Jovita (nee Lumbreras) Villarreal on April 14, 1961, and grew up in the Maple Island area. She graduated from Albert Lea High School and later attended Albert Lea Vocational Technical College with a focus on Catering and Food Service.

Carmen married the love of her life Douglas DeBoer on the 20th of August 1988. They adopted 3 children: Sandra DeBoer, Ramon DeBoer, and Margarito DeBoer.

Carmen worked for 18 years at Streaters, then worked at Walmart for 5, and then at Mrs. Gerry’s for 14 years before retiring.

Carmen enjoyed anything crafty and took great pleasure in doing projects creating things on her Cricut like t-shirts, ornaments, and household decorations that held sentimental value. Her love for animals is something that persevered throughout her life and she had many dogs and cats through the years. There were always happy pets living by Carmen in her household. Carmen loved spending the summers fishing with her family and going to garage sales with her husband Doug, her mother Betty, and her granddaughter Melanie. Sundays meant an immense amount to Carmen and her family, it meant the world to spend time together playing cards, eating good food, and watching their family grow. Carmen also loved TV and film and enjoyed going to the movie theater with her son Margarito and daughter Sandra, but above else Carmen enjoyed the simple aspects in life like gardening, bike riding, walking the dogs and spending time at home with her family. She was a friend to many and will be greatly missed.

Carmen is survived by her husband of 36 years, Douglas DeBoer; her children Sandra (Chase Flugum) DeBoer, Ramon (Faith Sailor) DeBoer, and Margarito DeBoer; her grandchildren Melanie and Amelia DeBoer; her sisters Yolanda (Aristeo) Martinez and Jane (Terry) Christenson, her nieces and nephews Junior and Mikaela Martinez, Davy, Jake, and Dominique Villarreal, Toni Villarreal and Samantha Crowley, and her parents-in-law Paul (Kathy) DeBoer, and sisters-in-law Kristina Villareal and Amy Villareal, and many beloved family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Juan and Jovita Villarreal, her brothers David Villarreal (Kristina) and Juan Villarreal Jr. (Amy); and her mother-in-law Lois DeBoer.

Memorial donations in Carmen’s name to the Human Society of Freeborn County are appreciated.