Deb Nagle(aka Bug-Bug, Super Bug)

It is with great sadness that I have to advise of the passing of my wife, Deb Nagle after an incredibly courageous battle with cancer. She passed peacefully on June 16, 2026 in the Palliative Unit at the Nanaimo Regional Hospital with me at her side. I was incredibly lucky to have been able to spend the past 23 years of my life with the kindest, most caring person I have ever met. It all started online with me asking how her golf game was and a short while later we met up at the driving range. I've never felt so much pressure hitting a golf ball in my life but I guess after hitting only my 7 iron for an hour, she was satisfied. Phew! In 2006 she agreed to marry me and after spending 10 years toiling away at our respective professions we were able to retire and get out of the lower mainland. For the past 10 years we have enjoyed living and playing in Nanoose Bay. In 2020 we took up glass art (no, it actually wasn't a COVID thing) but quickly realized that if we didn't find a way to get rid of some of what we were making, we would wind up with a house full of stained and fused glass. Our little hobby of a business, Winchelsea Designs was born and for the past few years, Deb and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing around with the business, especially attending markets and being able to share what we do with the public. Unfortunately, early last year Deb got the terrible news that she had stage 4 cancer. For the past 14 months she (we) battled as hard as we could. Many times I remarked that as long as she was willing to fight, I would give her 100% but I honestly did not know how she was still able to fight. It's what she was about. No matter what she had to tackle, the effort was always 110%, which always made up for my 70'ish%. On the 16th, although she was unable to communicate it to me, I believe she had a comfort for her surroundings and the fact I was by her side and she took her last breath. As she passed, I was able to say and do some things that I was very grateful for and as I meet with family and friends, I can share these details. There was some neat little things that happened when she passed and shortly after. Make sure you ask about the index finger kisses on the forehead. I haven't been able to tell that one without the tears flowing!

I want to thank all the family and friends that provided us with support over the past 14 months. We both appreciated it and it helped give us both strength. I also want to say a huge thank-you to the healthcare professionals that provided Deb with an incredible degree of care. These people work within a system that is overburdened and under-resourced but still manage to put a smile on their face and do an incredibly good job. From the bottom of our hearts, thank-you! There's one person I want to specifically thank. Stephanie was the Palliative Unit nurse that took care of us on June 16th. She provided a very comfortable and dignified passing for Deb and she also provided a lot of support for me at a very difficult time. She is responsible for starting the butterfly story which is one that I will share with anyone that wants to hear it but I'll warn you, the tears might start flowing. I have had a number of people ask but it was Deb's wish that there be no Celebration of Life. As I meet with family and friends, we are, and will continue celebrating who Deb was! Again, from both of us, thank-you for all of your support and encouragement!

Hmmm. I thought I was finished with the paragraph above but apparently not. There has been a significant response to this post and we just wanted to say thanks. It means a lot to us. The running joke around here was that if we got even 50 views of a post, I would tell Deb that it was "going viral". Well, with this one, I find myself looking up and saying, "now this time, we truly are going viral"!