Deborah S. Harper of Pound Ridge, who sang around the world in her younger years and wrote what her family said is the definitive book on the Pembroke Welsh corgi breed, died Aug. 28. She was 92.
Harper was born in San Mateo, Calif., on April 22, 1932, the daughter of George Chaffee Stoddard Sr. and Mary Beatrice (Dingle) Stoddard. The family moved to Scarsdale when she was 9.
Harper graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in music from Smith College in 1954. As a student, she sang and toured Europe with the Octavian octet. She met her future husband, Wallace Russell Harper Jr., when the Octavians and his Bowdoin College jazz group, the Polar Bear Five, were part of a 42-student group called “The Kids from Home” that toured the U.S. Air Force bases in Bermuda and the Azores.
After graduating, Harper worked in Manhattan for the RCA Record Company, writing liner notes. The two married in 1955 and were the parents of two children, Gordon Chaffee Harper and Emily Chamberlain Harper. While the marriage ended in divorce, they remained close friends until his death in 2022, the family said.
Harper had many interests, including creating and collecting art (especially 18th century bird engravings); sewing, jewelry making and gardening. She enjoyed birding and volunteered as a conservation educator.
She also was long involved with the Pembroke Welsh corgi breed since getting her first in1960. She produced many champions under her kennel name, Walborah; served the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America and the Mayflower Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club in various capacities; and contributed her fine scholarship and writing to the literature of the breed, including as author of the “The New Complete Pembroke Welsh Corgi” in 1994.
Harper was predeceased by both parents; her brother, George Chaffee Stoddard Jr.; her son, Gordon Chaffee Harper; and her former husband. She leaves behind her daughter, Emily Harper Erickson (Jon), as well as many relatives and friends.
A private service will be held to commemorate Harper’s life. Memorial gifts can be made to the Mayflower Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America Charitable Trust Inc.