Debbie Vierra, 67 years of age, passed away peacefully on September 25, 2021. A Memorial Mass for Debbie, and for all who mourn her passing, will be celebrated at St Francis of Assisi in Fillmore, on November 6, at 2:00 pm. The Celebration of Her Life will continue after Mass at Sow a Heart Farm with music, food, and friendship. All are welcome!
In 2001, Debbie was preceded in death by her soulmate and the love of her life, Ron Vierra. Debbie was lucky enough to find love a second time and she has always said how grateful she was that God would give her two great loves; her second husband and great love, Ronnie Brooks, passed away in 2020.
Debbie is survived by her son, Billy Vierra of Seattle, Washington; stepdaughter and family, Kellyn (Luis) Flores, precious grandchildren: Nathan, Andrew, and Grace Flores of Santa Clarita, step son, Shane Brooks of Santa Paula; sister in laws Kristi (Kevin) Grudzinski of Duarte, Kathy (Greg) Socia of Santa Paula, nephew Mark Reddick (Nikki) of Neenah, Wisconsin, and nieces Michelle (Sanjeev) Balakrishnan) of Atherton, Ca; Jennifer (Jamie) Schmidt of Ventura, as well as many other beloved family members and lifelong friends.
At 40 years of age, Debbie returned to school pursuing her lifelong passion for law. She opened her own employee advocate law office in 1996, and, opened Santa Clara Valley's Legal Aid Clinic which is still in operation today. She was honored by Ronald George, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California and served on the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA)'s board of directors. In 2005 Debbie began working for cPanel while continuing her law practice which included cases against some of the largest employers in the world. After juggling both positions for nine years, in 2014 she closed her law firm to begin a new phase in her career and became the Employee Relations and Employment Legal Counsel for cPanel full time. She retired from cPanel in 2020 to spend more time with her family and friends who were her whole world. Debbie loved to travel and immerse herself in the culture, cook meals for her friends, host parties in her courtyard, and listen (and even dance) to all her favorite music with her girlfriends.
Some people come into your life and see who you can be and then help you to see it, too. Then there are a precious few who go a step further and push you to become that person they see, and, won't quit until you do. Debbie Vierra was that person to so many people. All who knew her, whether it was for one week, one year, or 40 years, are all thinking the same thing: "It just wasn't enough time!"
In lieu of flowers please consider donating to Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid Clinic, or, your own favorite charity.