Debora B. Thompson, 69, of Scott Township, PA, passed away peacefully at home on October 12, 2026. She was born in April, 1957 in Westfield, New York, to her late parents William and Carol Thompson.

Deb is survived by her husband of 30 years, David F. Hajnik, sons Daniel Hajnik and Brian Hajnik, brother Albert Thompson, sister Elaine Thompson, grandson Sean Hajnik, aunt Garnet Storez, and several nieces and nephews.

Deb grew up on a dairy farm near Waynesburg, PA and graduated from Jefferson Morgan High School in 1975. During her angsty teenage years, she wrote poems that captured the wild emotional swings she suffered growing up. A lifetime later, Deb published that collection, titled I Am Youth, in the hope that the poems might help others through their own tumultuous times. The book is available at DorrancePublishing.com. She continued writing poems throughout her lifetime whenever her “muse” struck.

Deb earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Penn State University in 1979, then a master’s from the University of Wisconsin in 1981. She spent much of her career at Civil & Environmental Consultants (CEC), including as a vice president after 31 years of service, and her most significant contributions were project management, groundwater expertise and development of the CEC software Intranet. Deb also authored an in-house, unofficial, rouge publication called the CEC Enquirer, which employees cherished for its humor and sarcasm. Each issue provided moments of relief from serious office stress, and employees could not get enough of it. Deb retired from CEC in 2017.

Bicycling, hiking, and snorkeling were her outdoor passions. Hiking a remote area of a national park to find and photograph petroglyphs was her idea of a great hike. With her husband, she enjoyed many days bicycling trails surrounding the Pittsburgh area. The couple became increasingly interested in the flora that surrounded them; Deb took many photos of flowers and eventually published a website of her collection at MyWildflowers.com.

For decades, Deb enjoyed snorkeling the coral reefs of Caribbean islands like Bonaire and St. John. One year on her birthday, for the first time, she witnessed the “green flash” phenomenon at sunset while dining along the beach in St. Croix.

As a 25-year volunteer of the Montour trail, Deb served as board member, Westland Friends group leader, and also became the first female President. She developed the trail’s website (MontourTrail.org) and modern versions of the trail database. Deb received many awards for her volunteer work and was an advocate for disabled accessibility. Arrangements are entrusted to William Slater II Funeral Service, 1650 Greentree Road, PGH, 15220, (412) 563 2800. A memorial service will take place at a later date.