Debby Klein Obituary, Death – As a consequence of Debby Klein’s passing away on Monday, all of us are experiencing profound levels of loss and sorrow in our hearts. It is impossible to place an adequate amount of emphasis on the contribution that Debby has made to the growth of the theatrical program at Mary Washington University. After Debby Klein’s husband, Al Klein, began working in 1952 as a member of the faculty in the department of dramatic arts.
She almost immediately became active in the department. She began by conceptualizing the sets, then creating and painting them after she had completed those steps. In addition to that, she was responsible for sewing the costumes and assisting the pupils in a variety of other ways. Following their mother’s passing in 1970 and their father’s untimely passing from a heart attack in 1970, the structure that is now known as the Klein Theatre was renamed in his honor.
The Klein sisters, Becky and Judy, spent their formative years living in this structure and growing up there. Debby enjoyed a stellar reputation as a cultural heavyweight in the larger Fredericksburg area. She established this community by tirelessly pushing for its existence, by possessing a wide range of abilities, by having a profound respect for the arts, and by having an unyielding faith that participation in the arts can significantly improve the lives of individual people. ‘
The year 2018 saw the untimely passing of Debby. Since the beginning of the last seven decades, she has been an ardent and devoted supporter of UMW Theatre. In addition to that, she has been a benefactor to the theater and the very finest friend that any of us could ever want to have in our lives. Our hearts are broken. The UMW Foundation is responsible for the administration of both the Debby C. Klein Theatre Scholarship and the Albert R. Klein Memorial Scholarship. Both Becky and Judy have established two memorial scholarships in their parents’ names, and they have asked their friends to help them honor Becky and Judy’s mother Debby by making a contribution to one of these funds.
