GRAFTON: Deborah L. (Arslen) Hanna, 64, of Grafton, MA peacefully passed away on May 10, 2017, following a brief battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband of 38 years Elias Hanna; her three sons Ashur Hanna, Ninos Hanna and his wife Maya, Sargon Hanna and his wife Catherine; grandchildren Enkido, Rabi and Zalin; brothers Kenneth Arslen, Jr. and Ronald Arslen; sister Gwendolyn Purushotham and her husband Sam; nephews and nieces, Kenneth Arslen III, Melissa Mattei and her husband Keith, Elizabeth Arslen, Matthew Purushotham and his wife Carolyn, Vikram and Nisha Purushotham, Emily Johnson and her husband Rich and Amanda Laukaitis and her husband Mike, along with many cousins.
Deborah was born on May 23, 1952 in Worcester, MA to the late Rita (Pusateri) and Kenneth Arslen and grew up in West Boylston, MA. Deborah was a Registered Nurse, specializing in pain management, for over twenty years and was one of the first to be hired at UMass Memorial Healthcare when the hospital first opened in Worcester. She also went on to earn a Master’s degree in Psychology from Anna Maria College and graduated with honors. Always a woman of faith her earlier years were spent at Wesley United Methodist Church in Worcester where she was an active member and sang in the choir. More recently she was a member of St. Mary’s Assyrian Orthodox Church in Grafton. Deborah had a love of community theatre and was also an active member of the Assyrian American Association of Massachusetts. She and her husband Elias spent many years traveling the world and were recently enjoying winter months at their home in Scottsdale, Arizona.
All are welcome to gather with Deborah’s family on Sunday May 14th from 4:30pm to 8pm at Roney Funeral Home, 152 Worcester St. N. Grafton, MA 01536. Deborah’s funeral will be celebrated Monday May 15th at 11:00am by St. Mary’s Assyrian Orthodox Church of North Grafton in St. Philip’s Church 12 West St. Grafton MA 01519. She will be laid to rest at St. Phillip’s Cemetery in Grafton. Her family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations in Deborah’s memory be made to the Syrian Christian Relief Fund with checks payable to the non-profit organization (501)c(3) The Assyrian American Association of Massachusetts 22 Crosby Road Grafton, MA 01519. A Book of Memories to share a memory of Deborah or message of sympathy with her family is available online at:
www.RoneyFuneralHome.com