Deborah was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts to Stephen Putnam and Margaret Hart Putnam. She grew up in Scituate where she was a member of the Scituate High School class of 1975.

She graduated with honors from Tufts University (class of 1985) with degrees in Biology and Chemistry. She went on to attend Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine (class of 1990) specializing in small animal medicine. After graduation, she remained at Tufts working as an anatomy instructor. Her first veterinary job was with The Visiting Vet/Ashdod Clinic of Duxbury, where she established a reputation of compassion for her clients and their owners.

Deborah and her husband settled in Duxbury in 1992, where they raised two children, Stephen and Rebecca. She found time in her busy schedule to home school both of her children.  She had a passion for US history and volunteered to teach chemistry in Stephen's home school co-op. She enjoyed reading fantasy novels with her children, particularly Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

She was a horse lover since childhood and competed in dressage, winning many blue ribbons in and around Scituate with her horse Kacheena. Later, she cared for her American Quarter Horse Sofie on her property in Duxbury.

In 2017, Deborah relocated to Sarasota, Florida. She studied for and passed the board exams in Florida, enabling her to continue her career as a veterinarian. While living in Sarasota, she was a frequent traveler to Europe and especially loved Spain. She participated in Spanish immersion classes in Malaga and Salamanca.

Deborah is survived by her husband Dan Yates of Duxbury, her son Stephen Yates of Durham, North Carolina, her daughter Rebecca Yates of Orlando, Florida, and cousins in both the Putnam and Hart families.

A gathering will be held at the MacDonald Funeral Home, 1755 Ocean Street, Marshfield, MA on Wednesday, August 6 from 4 to 7 pm. A service will be held at First Congregational Church, 6 Plympton Street, Middleborough, MA on Thursday, August 7 at 10 AM followed by burial in the Mayflower Cemetery of Duxbury.

Please donate in her memory to the American Heart Association