It Happened in Crawford County: Debbi Gifford and her love for community service

Community service is important to Debbi Gifford, a daughter of Buster Tschanen and Phyllis (Wilson) Tschanen, and her two siblings, Amy Burkhart and Beth Dunlap. Debbi was raised north of Oceola close to her grandparents. She started school at Holmes Liberty and Lykens schools and then to Wynford High School. She remembers seeing Wynford when it opened; it was big, and she looked forward to going there. Debbi loved music, and played in the royal brass, concert and symphonic bands. Arvine Kindinger was the band director and for several years she helped him get kids started in music. Debbi graduated from Wynford H.S. in 1975.

Debbi married Chris Chandler and they had two children, Jason Chandler and Christi Crall. Debbi drove school bus for Wynford eight years after graduation and she also had other part-time jobs. Chris and Debbi went their separate ways, and then Debbi married Eric Gifford. He spent nine years in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Luke AFB Glendale, Arizona, and then transferred to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska. Debbi was allowed to travel with him. When President Bill Clinton had a reduction in force, Eric left the service and they came back home. Currently, Eric and Debbi live in the "suburbs" of Lemert.

Debbi got a job working for Tom and Lavonne Moore’s WBCO Radio Station, starting as their office manager. She loved working for them, but after a couple years, she wanted to try something new. She began working with Life Touch in Galion in customer service. It was a learning, growing and humbling experience, and she learned the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. She realized she should have stayed at WBCO. The opportunity arose to go back to the station for Mike and Donna Laipply as their station manager. That’s where she really grew into being involved in the community. The three of them served the community well, and she stayed with WBCO for 20 years. The Laipplys sold the business but Debbi stayed on until 2015. During those years, the Moores and Laipplys focused on the community and Debbi also learned the process. Seeing a need in her community she lobbied the out-of-state corporate office to allow an online news source to be developed. Once approval was received, Crawford County Now was launched.

During that time, her friend Rhonda Rowland asked Debbi to run for the Wynford School Board. She won the election and continued to serve for 16 years. She was happy to see her grandkids, Tim and Todd Chandler, graduate from Wynford. One of the biggest achievements Debbi participated in was the opening of the new building in the fall of 2020. Again, she experienced the "awe" of something so nice for their district. It is especially fulfilling for Debbi to have three more grandkids — Justin Chandler, Jamison Crall and Raelyn Mears — at Wynford.

Debbi also spent four years with Crossroads Original Designs, the candle factory. She worked in HR, the front office, sales and marketing. Her boss, Justin McMullen, used to call her the utility player. COVID interrupted her time there, and in the fall of 2020 she began her career with Miley Realty and Auction. The part of the real estate business that she enjoys is finding a home for people, not a house.

Debbi currently volunteers with Joe Graham on the Crawford County Arts Council. He twisted Debbi’s arm to have this story because he said, “Debbi owes me for going on the Crawford County Tourism Board.” Debbi was one of the founders of the Tourism Board so many years ago. She currently serves on the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Galion Chamber of Commerce and the Humane Society Serving Crawford County. She was recently elected to council at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Bucyrus.

Currently Debbi is helping her son Jason with the costumes for the Bucyrus Little Theatre production “Disenchanted.” The show is opening June 2 and running the first two weekends of June. Debbi would love to be an actor, but she doesn’t memorize very well. She is better ad-libbing. Her daughter Christi has special things to do as mom and daughter as well. Jason and Christi never cease to amaze their mom. Debbi loves spending time with her husband, mom, kids, grandkids and friends.

As with many people, it’s a daily challenge to be the best that she can be and to realize that her weaknesses are there for a reason, and it’s up to her to use that positively.

Go online for more of Mary Fox’s stories and photos on bucyrustelegraphforum.com. If you are interested in sharing a story, write Mary Fox, 931 Marion Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820 or email littlefoxfactory@columbus.rr.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: From the arts to animals, Debbi Gifford gives back to the community