Jean Bridges
Deb was a wonderful human being, a great coworker, and a lovely friend. Deb was one of the most important mentors in my career. A couple of years after I started at Emphasys in 1998, where Deb worked for decades, she helped me come up to speed on the work there. We spent a lot of hours working but also having fun at various places around the country, working with clients. Later when she and I were writing financial requirements for a new program, she and I worked very closely together. To say she took me under her wing is a huge understatement - during the time of our writing those requirements together and testing the program, she said well why don’t you just stay at my house to work on this with me. I was treated to 5 star accommodations and 6 out of 5 star food and company! She cooked for me the entire time, helped me with work, entertained me. I don’t know if I’ve ever known that particular kind of kindness before or since.
Moreover, I have a feeling I’m not the only one who’ll feel that way about Deb. Just from my little corner and personal experience of knowing Deb, she struck me as that person that you always turn to when you need a good, sensible answer or a caring response or ear to listen - or all of the above. My heart aches for her loved ones. I know Deb adored her family immensely, she talked about her family members often. Those who love her will miss her greatly, myself included. Deb was a true pleasure to know, and I will always think of her fondly and see her life as a model for living with integrity, love, and joy.