A successful entrepreneur and devoted mother of three has tragically lost her life in an off-road vehicle accident near her impressive multi-million dollar residence.
Darcy DeBord, aged 51, passed away last Sunday when the utility task vehicle (UTV) she was driving overturned on a trail close to her home in North Plains, Oregon, as reported by KOIN.
At the time of the accident, DeBord was alone in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene near her $1.9 million property located on NW Moreland Road.
In 2017, she launched White Birch Design Company, a lifestyle boutique noted on its website for its origins.
The business, which began as a modest endeavor in Hillsboro, flourished into a successful chain with three locations in the Portland area and another in Vancouver, Washington.
Her loss is being mourned by her husband, Ben, and their three daughters, Jessica, Sydney and Morgan.
DeBord’s stores will remain closed through Friday, when friends and family will gather in Hillsboro, about 20 minutes south of North Plains, to remember her.
The stores are scheduled to reopen Saturday.
Businesswoman Darcy DeBord, 51, died last Sunday near her North Plains, Oregon, home when her UTV overturned, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office
DeBord was a wife to her husband, Ben, and a mother to their three daughters, Jessica, Sydney and Morgan
DeBord founded White Birch Design Company in 2017 and had just opened a new store in Vancouver, Washington
DeBord had just posted about the Vancouver store’s grand opening day on April 29, about four days before her death.
She was also on the executive committee of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
A customer of DeBord’s recalled her entrepreneurial success when asked about her death.
‘The store gets lots of business. It’s just such a beautiful place. They seem very successful,’ Kim Pruski-Dehnert told KOIN.
Pruski-Dehnert added that she was thinking of DeBord’s family ahead of Mother’s Day this week.
‘Just knowing who she is, the type of person that she is and what she’s built, and she has children, family,’ she said. ‘What an incredible loss.’
An obituary posted for DeBord by her company remembered her as having ‘a presence that lifted everyone.’
‘Birthdays, outings, girl trips and parties were numerous,’ it read. ‘Everyone knew her and everyone wanted to be around her.’
A Facebook post from last May said DeBord had just celebrated her 30-year anniversary with her husband Ben
DeBord was riding alone at the time of the fatal crash near her Moreland Road home (Photo near her residence)
An obituary posted for DeBord, pictured next to her husband, said she had ‘a presence that lifted everyone’
DeBord’s crowning achievement was raising her daughters, according to the tribute.
‘Every day, they saw what it meant to be a strong, independent and amazing person,’ the tribute noted. ‘She was their role model and their teacher.’
DeBord began dating her ‘lifelong love’ Ben when she was 16 and married him at 21. The two celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in May last year.
The obituary said DeBord’s company ‘started as an interior design business making people smile in their home’ before expanding.
‘Darcy liked being her own boss and her energy and spirit shone in every day that she was in one of her stores greeting a customer or setting a table full of fun,’ it continued.
The boutique had previously announced DeBord ‘passed away in an accident this past weekend,’ but did not mention specifics.
DeBord’s husband and daughters have not yet publicly commented on her death.
However, her cousin Chad Stafford shared an image of them on Tuesday, captioned: ‘RIP cousin! Until we meet again.’
DeBord’s cousin Chad Stafford (right) was among those who paid tribute to the beloved businesswoman and family member on social media
Another local business, Résolu Cellars, said DeBord had the ‘vision and drive’ to put together their first tasting room and production facility.
‘She was a true champion of small business and local growth,’ the business said.
A separate home decor store, Nash & Nichol, also remembered DeBord as a ‘true friend’ who ‘offered her guidance, insight and years of experience in retail to us.’
‘This loss feels like a loss for the retail community, and we will miss her,’ their tribute read.
The Daily Mail has reached out to DeBord’s husband and daughters, White Birch Design, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon for further comment.
