Deborah Lynn Fernandez, age 61, departed this earthly realm on June 19, 2021 just before 9am. Her illness was short, but her life was one filled with joy, beauty and purpose. She brought heart and humor to every relationship and everything she did.
At the center of her life was spiritual practice and social justice. She had two amazing spiritual teachers in this life. Deb's family moved from Vermont to Massachusetts in 1975, when she was still 15, to be with their teacher Srimata Gayatri Devi (Mataji) at the Vedanta Center ashram in Cohasset, MA. Given the name Devika, Deb joined the community and lived there for nearly 10 years as a dedicated student of Mataji’s. She then went on to Boston College where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. In the mid-nineties, Deb returned to the ashram for several years during Mataji's final years.
Her professional and personal life was also deeply informed by her studies with Native American teacher, Ohki Forest who she began studying with in 2000. Through Ohki, Deb was given the privilege to serve on the Board of Red Wind Councils, a non-profit organization which works with the indigenous Maya people of Chiapas, Mexico. Its stated mission is to “foster spiritual consciousness & a restoration of social justice through awakening into the promised return of ancient indigenous Council ways.” Council Ways provided the framework for her belief in the deep, underlying brotherhood & sisterhood of the human race. The sacredness and centrality of food to the Maya, as evidenced in their own self-description as “the people of corn,” touched Deborah and inspired her to bring that awareness into her work as Chef and Owner of Home Star Cuisine, LLC.
Deborah created Home Star Cuisine in 2013 and for 8 years, lovingly prepared healthy individual meals for clients all over Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Prior to that, Deborah worked as a private chef for the Jesuit community at Boston College as well in dining services and several restaurants and was the chef/manager of a retreat house on Boston’s South Shore, planning, organizing, and executing all phases of food service for groups from 5 to 50, including for internationally known leaders in the field of religion and spirituality. She was a baker whose white chocolate chip & cranberry “crack” cookies are legendary. She made many wonderful friends as a chef and also supported other personal chefs through her activities with the United States Personal Chef Association. She earned the nickname "Snack Master Deb" because any activity or road trip with her was well stocked with your favorite snacks and drinks!
Deborah’s interests were many, including lifelong learning, books, cooking, nutrition, intuitive eating, tai chi, gardening, sailing, animals, singing and living in harmony with the earth. She loved to sew and knit and even helped make masks for friends, family and a service organization for people with cerebral palsy in New Jersey during the pandemic.
She met her husband, Michael, on eHarmony 17 years ago. They were married on September 23, 2006, in the beautiful backyard of Helene and Alan Korolenko. It was a magical ceremony in a circle where two sides of family and friends were joined together, with Michael and Deb in the center. They lived together in Providence, Rhode Island, and had the joy of each other and their cats Shambo and Parvati for many years. Beanie, the latest feline addition to the household, misses his mom a lot. Deb enjoyed traveling the world visiting Europe several times & studied abroad in Nijmegen, The Netherlands for a year. They will never forget their honeymoon in Nova Scotia and a wonderful trip to Southwestern England in 2017, where they stayed with their aunt Lyn and Uncle John and were shown the countryside by Michael's, mothers’ relatives. The hospitality, kindness and trip will never be forgotten.
Deb’s beautiful family includes her father, Robert Fernandez, her sister Mary Jo Fernandez, her brother Jonathan Ferris, his wife Melissa and their two boys, Henry and Oliver. She has many aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews in Vermont and New Hampshire. She touched the lives of Michael's family with love and laughter: Catherine Roussos, Kevin, Nathan and Nicole Aiken, as well as Stephanie Roussoss and Michael Salvatore. She shared a special bond with the Gilman family: Mukta (her best friend since she was a teen), Jeff, and her godchildren Alex and Tess. They were her second family and had a profound influence on each other and created so much joy together, which will last forever. Her other best friend, Purna, shared her love of learning and philosophical and spiritual interests and they had many deep and unique conversations in their decades-long friendship. Deb had a way of making and forging unique friendships and won over Michael's friends with her kindness, generosity and sense of humor. She will be missed by us all.
Deb and Michael would like to gratefully acknowledge all the prayers and support she received from the people of Chiapas Mexico, the Ashrams in Cohasset and California, the Jesuit community, and all of her friends and family.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a generous donation to Red Wind Councils via PayPal by clicking on the Donate button on the website at www.redwindcouncils.org, through Venmo @RedWindCouncils (code 8109) or by sending a check to Red Wind Councils, PO Box 1064, Pepperell, MA 01463. Please note that your donation is for Deb. Deb is a great believer in social justice and a donation to this organization would be a fitting tribute for her.
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