Alfred, New York

Deborah S. “Debby” (Soule) Esposito – 74 – of Hernando, FL, formerly of Alfred, NY died unexpectedly early Saturday morning (November 2, 2024) at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

Born in Ithaca on September 11, 1950, she was the daughter of Lauren & Maureen (Casterline) Soule.

On November 29, 1975, Debby married Gerard “Jerry” Esposito who survives.  She was preceded in death by her father, Lauren Soule, and is survived by her mother, Maureen Soule of Alfred.  Debby also leaves behind two sisters, Linell Soule of Almond (Bill Sortore) of Angelica and Terah Soule of Wellsville, NY; two sisters-in-law, Diane Murphy (John) of Lancaster, PA and Christine Stromberg (Jim) of N. Middleton, NJ.  She will also be greatly missed by her four nephews, three nieces, and four grand-nieces as well as several other extended family members.

Debby grew up in Alfred and was a graduate of Alfred-Almond Central School (class of 1968).  She also attended her H.S. sophomore year at American Community School in Beirut. In 1972, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry & Physics from Wells College in Aurora, NY.

For 25 years Debby loyally served the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester starting as a chemist, and moving on to work in other science positions, before transitioning into the Human Resource Department as a Senior Technical Recruiter.  She eventually moved into various manufacturing positions and finally as GM/Vice-President of Storage Products.  Debby was recruited by Essilor of America in 1997 to be the Executive VP of Operations in St. Petersburg, FL.  She finished her corporate career at Talla-Com Industries as Director of Administration coaching senior staff on high performance management, leadership skills and strategy implementation.  Her skills and experience led her to start her own Management consulting firm.  She also worked alongside her husband Jerry, beginning in 1983, with his Photographic Events company on weekends.

Debby approached life with a “joie de vive” rarely seen.  Her energy and passion for things that were important to her and immediately drew you into her orbit.  She and Jerry loved to travel, including their favorite destinations of Santa Fe, NM & Monterey, CA.  Her Western New York roots gave her a love of family, the outdoors and seeking adventures.  When others would be finding reasons not to try something new, Debby would often respond with a slight head tilt, a wry smile and her eyes dancing with the challenge of convincing people to try something new, she’d simply say “So what! Why not try it?”.  If you knew Debby, she usually changed people’s minds, laughing contagiously and always willing to join them on their adventure.  As the family historian, she was our ‘go-to’ for all dates and information regarding family & ancestors.  Her passion for genealogy helped her discover her familial roots and led her into a second career.  She twice earned her DAR certification in genealogy which allowed her to help others trace their family histories! She also took her love of food and became an excellent home chef, before sharing her knowledge by offering private cooking classes those who wanted to learn.

At Debby’s request there will be no calling hours.  Services will be held at a later date and time to be announced.

Funeral arrangements are in care of the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY.

Debby’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name be made to the American Heart Association, PO Box 3049, Syracuse, NY 13220.

To leave an online condolence or share a memory, visit www.dagonfuneralhome.com.