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Memorial Service
Obituary of Deborah McBride
Deborah McBride of South Orange, New Jersey has passed away at 45 years old. She was born at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC on June 12th, 1978 to Jack and Rita McBride and raised in Rochester, NY.
She is the youngest sister of Chris and Colleen. Brendan Hermes is her husband and Elyse, Sean and Margot (Margaret) are her children. Their marriage lasted just shy of 20 years, and will continue on in spirit forever.
She contracted Glioblastoma and it was discovered on January 14th. She endured three surgeries over the course of six weeks and while her body was strong, the tumors didn’t care. She passed peacefully at Cooperman Barnabas in Livingston, NJ on March 18th, under fluffy white clouds, and with her mother and husband by her side.
Her journey was cut short in time but not in purpose. Fiercely loving, genuinely funny, shockingly beautiful, wildly intelligent and amazingly caring…covered in qualities that everyone wants and devoid of any negative traits whatsoever.
Raised in the shadow of Lake Ontario in snowy Rochester, NY, she forged and embraced her friendships with both her “girls” and the “guys”. She regularly attended Christ the King and attended Irondequoit HS, before graduating and attending the University of Delaware where she earned her degree in History and Political Science.
After moving to Washington DC after graduation and working at a law firm, she decided against law school and pursued a career in Public Relations.
After moving to Santa Monica, CA with her husband, she landed her first job in PR and after a move to the NYC area, finishes her rising career as a Vice President of Corporate Communications for A + E Networks where her primary task was to write.
In her free time, she passionately loved her family and worked tirelessly creating moments for them. Traveling with them was her main source of happiness: Lake George, LBI, California, Florida, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Seattle, Detroit, Rochester, Delaware, The Finger Lakes and countless ski trips all framed with very specific events to enrich the journey.
She loved historical fiction, taking quiet walks in the woods, attending book club, having a beer straight out of the can, and watching TV with her husband in the one free hour a day they had. She was curious and adventurous and never boastful about any of it, or anything at all.
She was the consummate mother, booking doctor appointments, dentist appointments, scheduling everything, booking summer camps, caring for the kids when they were sick and the other 1,000,000 things a mother does that are consistently overlooked by those who don’t perform those most important tasks.
She consistently kept her own light low so that the others around her could use the fuel to make theirs brighter. If you ever had a conversation with her, you knew, at least once, what it was like to feel like the most important person in the room.
She is survived by Jack (father) Rita (mother) of Bear, DE, Colleen and Nick Audley (sister) of Milford, NH, Christopher and Kelly McBride (brother) of Charlotte, NC, and Brendan Hermes (husband) and their three children (Elyse 15, Sean, 12, and Margaret, 8) of South Orange, NJ.
She is also survived by her Aunts and Uncles: Margaret, Kathleen and Fran, her cousins: Jamie, Stephen, Ryan, Carrie, Anne, Bridget, Mary Beth and Caroline.
In lieu of flowers, please head to https://aga-memorial-foundation.square.site/ and donate.
Andy was a friend of Deb’s from her youth in Rochester. He was senselessly murdered 20+ years ago and she would want you to donate, so they can continue to provide scholarships to local Rochester kids.
Services for Deborah McBride will be on Saturday April 6th at St George’s Church at 550 Ridgewood Rd, Maplewood, NJ 07040 and simultaneously broadcast at The Woodland at 60 Woodland Rd, Maplewood, NJ 07040. At 1:00 PM.
Family should attend services at the Church, and all friends should proceed directly to The Woodland where the service will be live streamed.
Parking is limited at the church. There will also be parking at the Woodland. Street parking will be the main source when you arrive.
There will be a Celebration of Life with food and drink for all at the Woodland immediately following the services. The family will join friends there at 2PM.
The Woodland is a very large venue and able to accommodate everyone, and all are encouraged to attend as a show of love to the Hermes children.
There will be a video presentation, eulogies, stories and music at the Celebration of Life. All are encouraged to speak.
Hotels for out of towners:
https://www.choicehotels.com/new-jersey/west-orange/cambria-hotels/nj313?mc=llgoxxpx
