Debra Ross Lawrence

January 28, 1955 - February 21, 2024

Debra Lawrence, "Debbie," was unexpectedly taken from her family and many friends due to acute cardiac arrest on February 21, 2024, at Summerlin Hospital in Las Vegas. A devoted mother, wife and friend, a long-time fixture in the Las Vegas hospitality design community, and a woman of boundless joy and spirit, Debbie will be missed beyond measure.

She was born and grew up in Queens, NY where she was the cherished daughter of Fred and Edith Ross. After high school graduation, Debbie moved to Florida where she began her lifetime career in hospitality design. Later, her career took her to Washington, DC, where she met the love of her life, Scott Lawrence. They married at the Helmsley Palace in Manhattan in 1986 surrounded by friends and family. They welcomed daughter, Taylor, to their family in 1988 and son, Alex, in 1992. The love she felt for her children was true and deep.

In 1995, Debbie and Scott moved to Las Vegas where she continued to build her career in hospitality design, participating in some of the largest and most successful hotel and casino projects in Las Vegas, and opening her own business, D Lawrence Hospitality, in 2012. Her discerning eye for beauty, sunny personality and unflagging sense of humor earned her numerous friends within the industry, both in Las Vegas and around the country.

As a young mother, Debbie met and became friends with a group of women through the neighborhood elementary school. Debbie--along with Dawn, Sue, Connie, Sandy, Lisa, Jodi, and Donna, to name a few—were at the core of the group they named the "YAYAs." The bond of shared love and pain and everyday laughs these women created has lasted for 25 years.

Everyone who knew Debbie felt her generosity of spirit, giving of herself through a big smile, kind word, or thoughtful acknowledgement. She never ended a conversation with her family without saying "I love you." We will miss those words.

She is survived by Scott, her husband of 38 years, her daughter, Taylor, (both of Las Vegas), and her brothers Robert (Diana) of Lake Oswego, OR and Richard (Mary) of St. Petersburg, FL. She is preceded in death by her parents and her son, Alex.

Debbie's family and friends will host a Celebration of Life for her at Aspire at Flamingo Grand Apartments, 4335 South Grand Canyon Dr, Las Vegas, on Saturday, March 9th from 3:00-6:00pm. Donations can be made to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Southern Nevada, (www.grrsn.org) (Debbie loved her Goldens!)

One Heart Forever, Always Together, Never Apart.