Denise Marie Jeffries

Denise Marie Jeffries, resident of Pleasanton, CA, passed away at Bruns House in Alamo at the age of 44 years, after many visits from family and close friends. As a loving wife and mother of three young children, she kept fighting to the end, never giving up hope that she would be able to continue the job of loving and raising her children.

Denise loved the Lord, she loved her family, and she loved other people. She had an infectious smile and a vibrant personality. Throughout her fight with breast cancer, and even before, she brought love, joy and hope to those she crossed paths with.

Denise was born in San Jose, raised in the bay area, and spent many summers in Sacramento. She attended Biola University in Southern California, and later transferred to University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton, where she earned her BA in Communicative Disorders. She attended graduate school at UOP, and earned her MA in Speech-Language Pathology.

While at UOP, she met her husband of 17 years, Craig. Denise worked in the Pleasanton Unified School District and the Mount Diablo Unified School District as a Speech-Language Pathologist for several years, and then started her own private practice when their first child, Grace, was born. In this new role, she partnered with Shining Light Preschool in Pleasanton for over 10 years. Denise enjoyed helping parents of preschoolers with speech delays or concerns navigate the ins and outs of the public school system and get their children the help needed.

Denise was passionate in her role as a mom. When it was time for Grace to start school, Denise and her husband Craig decided to home school. Denise poured herself into this new challenge, and though trying at times, she loved being able to keep her kids close and spend time with them. In the end, the family was so fortunate to take this home schooling journey, maximizing the time spent together as a family.

Denise's love for the Lord and love for people compelled her to serve others in many different ways. During her college years, she worked at Mission Springs Camp in Scotts Valley and took a mission trip to Russia. She loved studying the Bible. She spent many years attending and leading Bible studies, both in her home with Craig, and through Women's Ministries at Valley Community Church. She had a passion for the Word of God, and so enjoyed leading and sharing what she had learned in study, and hearing insights from the other women in her group.

From her diagnosis of Stage III-C triple-negative breast cancer in June 2014, Denise fought with everything in her. She was loved so much, and will be dearly missed. It is hard to grasp that she is actually gone, and with the Lord in heaven. She was beautiful here. She will be such a sight to behold in glory.

Denise is survived by her husband, Craig, and their children, Grace, Luke, and Abigail. She is also survived by her father John Skinner (Annette), mother Desiree Cotter (Rhett), and brother Johnny Skinner (Sonya), as well as her step-brothers Todd Eichman (Marie) and Jeff Eichman (Lori).

A service celebrating Denise's life will be held on Sunday, April 24, 2016 from 2:00-3:30pm at Valley Community Church, 4455 Del Valle Pkwy, Pleasanton, CA, with a reception to follow at the church.