24 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | OCTOBER 2018

Debbie Gaby looks forward to her charity ’ s signature Celebrity Catwalk, which is returning for its 11 th biennial walk down the runway this month. COVER STORY CONTINUED and wanted for nothing after Sleep America was acquired by Mattress Firm in 2015. But then came last year, and losing her soul mate. “Len was bigger than life,” she said. “I loved him. We spent 26 years together and he was my best friend and my advocate.” To help cope with the loss, Debbie relied on a lot of friends, a little travel, a bit of therapy, and her French bulldog, Banks. “I’ve got a great support system. I’m very lucky because I have dozens and dozens of girlfriends. I even have them all the way back from the seventh grade,” she said. “I’m with a friend almost every day, so I’ve filled the void.” She also sold her house, and moved into a place where everything is new and different. “I think that’s part of the healing process, to move on,” she said. Gaby will be filling her time — and moving on — with her signature Celebrity Catwalk on October 16, a biennial event she wasn’t certain would continue. “I really thought about it, because this year has been the hardest year on me. But it’s something I love to do, so it would be sad if I didn’t do it,” she said. “I really feel like it would hurt the community not to do it because it raises a lot of money.” And so, for the last few months Gaby has been racing around town, attending meetings to plan the event. She has secured broadcaster Dave Pratt to emcee and guitarist Esteban to entertain and local celebrities like Johnjay and Rich, Tram Mai, Lin Sue Cooney and Robin Sewell to walk the runways. “I’m glad I just bit the bullet and did it because it keeps me super busy,” she said. Dubbed “New Beginnings,” the event is the perfect vehicle for combining many of Gaby’s passions. Namely, friends, philanthropy and another longtime interest: fashion. When she was 13, Gaby worked in a small boutique in Marshall called Gemini Honeycomb. She eventually became the manager and traveled to Dallas World Trade Market to shop for the store’s OCTOBER 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 25