Deborah J. Masters

Deborah J. (Schroeder) Masters, 62, of Fairfield, Calif., died Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010 at Kaiser Hospital in Vacaville, CA after being diagnosed with cancer on Sept. 17. Debbie was born and raised in the Cleveland area. She was married in 1966 to her first husband and had 2 sons. They lived in Nuremburg, Germany from 1970-1972, and then returned to Cleveland before moving to Mesa, Ariz., in 1979. While in Arizona she founded crime prevention and safety companies "Citizens Against Crime" and "Safe in America." Debbie was a talented public speaker and earned the designation of a Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest achievement in Toastmasters International. She moved to Oregon in 1991 and resided in both the Medford and Portland areas before moving to Northern California and finally settling in Fairfield in 2000. She was a licensed optician and retired recently from National Vision, after having held supervisory and regional director roles for various optical firms.

Debbie was active in the United Methodist Church for her entire life, serving both in the choir and as choir director in multiple locations, including the Nuremburg Philharmonic in Germany. For the past four years, she has been the choir director at the Travis Air Force Base Protestant Chapel.

Debbie is survived by her loving husband of 2 1/2 years, Fred Daniels; two sons, Skip Leasure (Reme) of Spokane, Wash., and Randy Leasure of San Francisco; grandsons, Jacob and Joshua Leasure of San Diego, and Noah Covey-Leasure of Spokane, Wash.; sister, Teresa Cline (Dave) of Vacaville, Calif.; brother Elmer J. Schroeder Jr. (Deanne) of Willoughby, Ohio; 2 step-children, Michael Daniels (Heidi) of Springfield, Va., and Susan Joy Draper (Ben) of Omaha, Neb.; step-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. She was preceded in death by father, Elmer J. Schroeder Sr. (1972); mother, Janet D. Keiffer (2002); and sister, Mary Kay Schroeder (2000).

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Community United Methodist Church, 1875 Fairfield Ave., Fairfield, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2010, at 11 a.m. The family suggests donations to the American Cancer Society in her name.