NOTTINGHAM, N.H. — Deborah Bachmann Filipancic, 55, of Nottingham N.H., passed away on December 23, 2018, after a brief illness. She was born October 18, 1963, in Exeter, N.H. A New Hampshire/Maine seacoast friend to many, Deborah formerly was an employee/associate at Withington & Company Antiques, York, Maine.
The daughter of the late Sandra Swasey (Rowell) Bachmann and Rudolf Friedhold Bachmann III of Ferrisburgh, Vt., Deborah attended Exeter High School and graduated from Manchester West High School in Manchester, N.H., in 1981.
After high school, she worked as an associate for Clinique at Filene’s in Boston. She excelled in sales and was promoted into an account executive position with Clinique Laboratories, New York for more than 15 years.
Her hobbies and passions included all aspects of design and gardening. She assisted on many design projects in the New England area. In her earlier years, she spent time traveling through Europe.
“Those of you who visited Bob Withington Antiques in York, Maine, from 2000 to 2012 knew Deborah as the enthusiastic, talented, hardworking woman with the ever-present sun hat,” recalls Bob Withington. “She was the kind of employee/associate that a business dreams about — caring deeply about each and every customer, constantly rearranging the store, coming in early and staying late and always ready with ideas of how to do things better and more efficiently. She was my right-hand woman, always attuned to my moods and rantings. In fact, she could rant better than anyone I knew, and there were times when our discussions were colorful. The bottom line was, however, that she always cared. She certainly was not afraid to speak up about things that she didn’t see going well. Although it’s been six years since we worked together, I still reflect on our conversations and now realize how prescient she was about the future of the antiques shop business as we both watched our numbers tumble and the enthusiasm of customers wane.
“Deborah had much to offer as a designer, gardener, and mother to Nick. Her gift baskets, which she did as a business for corporations, and her beautiful, commercial hydrangea arrangements were something to behold. Deborah, you will be missed.”
She is survived by a son, Nicholas Josef Filipancic, and his companion, Jessica Brown of Waltham, Mass., as well as two sisters and a brother — Kimberly (Flanders) Cross of Exeter, N.H.; Barbara (Bachmann) Dirsa and her husband, James R. Dirsa of Nottingham; and Rudolf F. Bachmann of Exeter. Deborah is also survived by an aunt, uncles, nephews and many cousins.
At her request, there will be a private family memorial service. Donations can be made in memorial to the NH SPCA, PO Box 196, Stratham, NH, 03885-0196. An online condolences guestbook is at www.brewittfuneralhome.com.
