Debra Dawn Brennan

Born on October 25, 1960, on Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, she was the fourth child of Donald and Patricia Brennan. Her father, a US Marine, was stationed on the island at the time. She was still a baby when her family moved to Northern Virginia, where Debbie lived the remainder of her life.

Debbie is survived by her brothers, Dennis and his wife Trudy of Wake Forest, NC; Douglas of Saipan, CNMI; David and his wife Susan of Castle Pines, CO; nieces Jamie Brennan and her husband Donnie Staggs, Jr., and Heather Brist, all of Quincy, MA; Caroline Johnston and her husband Adam of Littleton, CO, and Hannah Brennan of Aurora, CO; nephews Dexter Brennan and his wife Hitomi, Daryl, and Donovan Brennan all of Saipan; uncles and aunts Theodore and Sandy Beller, and Robert and Kay Beller of Ohio; Lorinda Beller of New York; Arthur Beller of Florida; Jim and Susan Folliard of Washington, DC; Linda Lopardo of Florida, and many cousins from the Beller family in Ohio, Virginia, and Connecticut. Debbie was predeceased by her parents, grandparents Morris and Eleanor Beller, and grandmother Carrie Mae Daugherty Brennan.

Debbie was a 1978 graduate of J.E.B Stuart High School, Falls Church, VA. She played three years of varsity basketball and four years of varsity track, setting records, receiving recognition, and winning awards. She was a member of the National Honor Society and, as a senior, received two prestigious awards, the Stuart HS Casey Bray award, given to senior athletes demonstrating excellence in at least two sports and academics, and the Jimmie Miller Scholarship for outstanding achievement in athletics, leadership, and scholarship amongst all Fairfax County high school athletes. Debbie still holds the long jump and high jump records at Stuart HS. She used the Miller scholarship to complete her undergraduate education at James Madison University, class of 1982.

Upon her graduation from JMU, Debbie took a position as a security guard at The Washington Post Springfield, VA plant, a position she held for the past 33 years. She was the first person many people saw as they entered for work or to do business. Her gifts of special toffee, her smile, her wit, and her passion for helping others were a constant throughout every part of her day.

Debbie was passionate about horseback riding. You could frequently find Debbie at a nearby stable, both grooming and riding. She fulfilled a lifelong dream to ride bareback on a white sand beach when she traveled to Aruba with Washington Post friends. This was one of her fondest memories.

Debbie was a great fan of her three older brothers. She enjoyed throwing the football to her oldest brother, Dennis; fishing and hunting with her middle brother, Doug; and running with her youngest brother, David. She would tell everyone how proud she was of her brothers.

Debbie always cared about others and liked to make everyone smile.

Her aunt, Sue Folliard, cared for her throughout her illness by helping with appointments, conversations, and support. She was with her at the end.

As burial arrangements are pending, a Celebration of Life at Demaine Funeral Home in Springfield, VA will be held at a later date followed closely by her burial. In lieu of flowers, Debbie has requested, “If people want to make some type of contribution in my name, the most perfect thing is just for people to PAY IT FORWARD. That’s all I ask, just PAY IT FORWARD to somebody and see what happens from there. That would mean a lot to me.”

Her smile may have left this earth, but she lives on in our hearts, as we always say, “All our love, all our lives.”