Petaluma, California

Debra (Deb) Lynn Ongaro was born November 15, 1958 to Grant (Jim) and Eloise Helton. She was born in Orange County, CA and grew up with her brother Michael (Mike) in Southern California.

In 1979 she moved to Sonoma County. Deb met her husband Ernest (Ernie) in 1980, she was working in the office of the family company Ongaro and Sons when Ernie caught Deb’s eye. Deb and Ernie had a whirlwind romance, with an engagement one week after they met.

They enjoyed a ten year-long honeymoon together. Deb and Ernie had a lifelong passion for restoring houses together. They had an eye for a diamond in the rough, finding the “worst” house in the best neighborhood. Their talent for finding and bringing life to fixer-uppers is commemorated through the awards they received for their restoration efforts. Two homes, both in Petaluma, CA received the award for Historic Preservation from Heritage Homes of Petaluma. The first was a 1915 craftsman style house, the second was a 1865 Victorian style house.

They loved to ski together in Truckee, CA where they spent their honeymoon at the family cabin. Their son Ernest (Ejay) is their first child, then four years later Allison (Ali) comes along. Deb and Ernie raised their kids on a beautiful ten acre ranch in Two Rock, CA. As a family, they enjoyed traveling and practiced Tae Kwon Do together. When Ejay and Ali were teenagers the family moved to a Victorian home in Petaluma, CA. Deb loved renovating and decorating their Victorian home. She spent her time nurturing her garden, growing a variety of rose bushes in the front yard.

Deb was a vibrant, bubbly and fun-loving spirit who made everyone feel loved, seen and heard. Deb loved decorating for every holiday, making small moments feel special. Deb had a keen eye for fashion, taking every opportunity to express her sense of style.

Deb spent her career as an RN in the postpartum department working with new moms and babies. She loved every moment of working with the new families and often came home with stories and loving descriptions of the people she worked with. Deb was an RN for twenty-five years at Kaiser Permanente, earning daisy awards recognizing her compassion and care for her patients.

Deb is survived by her husband of forty-five years Ernie, Ejay, Ali and grandchildren Ernest and Josephine. Deb will be missed for her fierce love and care for her family.

She will be endlessly missed and will live on through her family.