Deborah Hebb attracted Smalltimore moments effortlessly.

It came with the territory of delivering roughly 5,000 babies in Baltimore throughout her nearly 40-year career as an OB-GYN.

Her husband, Charlie Peters, said it was common for a person at the grocery store or elsewhere in the city to have some connection to his wife. Whether it be a patient or a baby — sometimes all grown up — she helped bring into the world.

“You have no idea what Smalltimore is unless you’re married to Debbie Hebb,” said Peters, who was married to Hebb for 42 years.

Hebb died on Sept. 28 after a battle with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a terminal neurodegenerative disease. She would have been 70 this month.

Hebb was born and raised in Baltimore. She attended The Bryn Mawr School where she made several lifelong friends before going to Duke University. Hebb then headed to the University of Maryland for graduate and medical school. She and Peters, who was pursuing law, met at the university through a mutual friend.

Together, they raised two children while navigating demanding careers.

Hebb prioritized her patients and would be on call throughout a weekend, get two hours of sleep and come to work Monday morning, Peters said.

Hebb’s daughter, Drayden Peters, who remembers following her mom on her rounds as a kid, has always found motivation from Hebb’s work ethic.

“She just worked really hard and took such pride in her work, and it really inspired me to work hard and have a meaningful career as a woman,” said Drayden Peters, who became a lawyer.

A big influence for Hebb entering the medical field was her father, who practiced gynecology and was one of the original medical faculty at Greater Baltimore Medical Center after a merger. Hebb had a chance to work alongside her father before starting her own practice at the same hospital. Hebb was respected by her patients, who appreciated her unassuming demeanor and attention to their diverse needs.

“She was very open to different things and listening to people, and I think it was such a special quality for her. That’s why people loved her,” Charlie Peters said.

WJZ-TV anchor Denise Koch credits Hebb with saving her life.

Around Christmastime 30 years ago, Koch was pregnant with twin girls. Her primary doctor was on a trip to Lebanon and Hebb was the doctor on call. Koch became preeclamptic, leading to a spiked blood pressure and a chance her organs could shut down. Hebb hardly left her side or the hospital, shuffling through different treatments to get Koch well again.

“The kind of care she gave me as a human being, caring for me and my husband, made me forever in her debt,” Koch said.

Hebb delivered Koch’s twin daughters, both under three pounds. One of their middle names is Deborah in her honor, Koch said. Though childbirth was the scariest 24 hours of Koch’s life, she was comforted by Hebb’s cadence, a trifecta of gentleness, kindness and skill. Koch continued to admire the way Hebb “trusted women and she listened to them and responded.” She kept Hebb as her doctor for the next three decades.

Joan Blomquist, the chair of the department of gynecology at GBMC, said Hebb was a great role model and mentor to the residents at GBMC and to the physicians who were just getting their feet wet.

Her mentees often “talked about how she was always eager to guide them and exemplified who they wanted to be,” Blomquist said.

Outside of her busy work hours, Hebb enjoyed traveling with her husband to national parks and other countries, including Japan, Chile, Croatia, France and many more. A fun night out in Baltimore was also ideal, like eating at Tapas Teatro on North Charles Street and catching a movie at the Charles Theatre.

When Hebb retired in 2020, it was an adjustment shifting from 60- to 70-hour weeks to having more free time, Charlie Peters said. But retirement was a period she looked forward to.

In addition to spending time with her grandchildren, she loved volunteering for Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church’s tutoring program, teaching students reading. Hebb also liked being active, biking, taking Pilates classes and going to the Northern Central Railroad Trail, which covers nearly 20 miles of Maryland.

Hebb’s mobility became limited after she was diagnosed with ALS in 2024.

She was met with tremendous support from her family and an “enormous” network of friends, Charlie Peters said.

Her friend and former patient Melody Simmons sat down with her periodically after the diagnosis to discuss her life story, a time Simmons considers to be a gift.

“You could tell she really cared about her patients and cared about delivering babies,” Simmons said.

Hebb had to use a wheelchair after her diagnosis, but it didn’t stop her and Charlie Peters from going to the Grand Canyon, a national park long on their wish list with a view that filled Hebb with tearful joy.

“It was a big moment for me and her, and I was so glad that somehow we got to do that one last thing together. One of our trips,” her husband said.

A funeral service will be held on Oct. 24 at 3pm at the Church of the Redeemer.

The Banner publishes news stories about people who have recently died in Maryland. If your loved one has passed and you would like to inquire about an obituary, please contact obituary@thebaltimorebanner.com. If you are interested in placing a paid death notice, please contact groupsales@thebaltimorebanner.com or visit this website.