Deborah Lynn Hillestad

Ms. Deborah Hillestad, 65, of 1032 Davis Rd., Garland, NC, passed away on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at her residence.

Born on October 18th, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan to the late William Pearsall Sr and Maryan Pearsall. She was the baby of the family, having one older sister and four older brothers. She always joked that her parents finally got what they wanted when she was born, so that’s why she was the baby. She graduated from Lowell High School in Lowell, Indiana, Class of 1978. Before moving to NC in 1993, she worked at the Isle of Wight Animal Shelter and Sheriff’s Department in Virginia. She worked for the NCDOT in White Lake, NC, from 1994 to 2004. Everybody that knew her, knew her love for koalas, so much so that she even had a 2007 PT Cruiser with koalas airbrushed on the hatch. She had always wanted to go to Australia to see a koala in person, but the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC had two koalas, so she got her wish of seeing one. She also loved Stitch, who she always said was an alien koala. She even had a Stitch and Angel tattoo, along with koala tattoos. She loved going to Gatlinburg, TN where she said if she ever won the lottery, that’s where she’d move to. Her and her daughter would make annual trips around Christmas there. The last time they went was 2022, for Spring Break. She loved her grandsons. Often taking off for day trips with them. On two of those trips, they came home with dogs. She had her fair share of health issues, having over 30 surgeries in her life, she always said a medical book could be written about her. She sort of became the matriarch of the family, treating her nieces and nephews more like daughters and sons. She loved her animals too. Her three dogs, her three cats, her rabbit, and her miniature horses.

She is survived by her only daughter, Ashley Hillestad of Garland, NC, her twin grandsons, Landon and Aiden Hillestad of Garland, NC, one sister, Katherine Ross of Garland, NC, and four brothers, William Pearsall Jr of Garland, NC, David Pearsall of Pikeville, NC, Lawrence Pearsall of Beloit, WI, and James Pearsall of Zebulon, NC. She had 14 nieces and nephews, 22 grandnieces and nephews, and 3 great-grandnieces and nephews.

Her daughter would like to say "thank you" to Jessica, Lori, and Rickema from Liberty Hospice for taking such great care of her mother. They loved her and treated her like family, and she knows her mama loved them.

Visitation Sunday, March 8th, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. Service will be at 1:00 pm.