Obituary: Former Newport Beach Mayor Jan Debay’s heart for service heard its calling
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When Janice “Jan” Debay moved to Newport Beach in 1979, lured from L.A. County by the town’s breathtaking views and quiet beach culture, she had no designs to enter the realm of public service. Yet, somehow, it found her.
A registered nurse who dabbled in real estate, Debay and her husband, Terry, had purchased an A-frame oceanfront duplex on 51st Street with a mind to converting it into a single-family residence. Somewhere amid the planning and permitting process, the 40-something mother of three became fascinated with the complex machinations of city hall.
“That was when my mom really started to get immersed in all the city codes and doing all of that,” recalled Debay’s daughter, Lynn Davis, who was a young girl at the time.
That fascination would lead to a seat on the Newport City Council, where Debay served from 1992 to 2000, including two terms as mayor.
A public servant whose three decades of civic service helped shape the local community, Debay died March 22 in Santa Rosa, less than two weeks before her 89th birthday.
Prior to her stint at City Hall, Debay served on the West Newport Beach Homeowners Assn., while also balancing her time between the city’s Citizen’s Environmental Quality Assurance Committee and the Newport Beach Board of Realtors. In 1987, she was appointed to the Planning Commission, on which she served as chair.
“I remember the packets [of meeting agendas and staff reports] would come at the doorstep,” Davis said Wednesday. “She always had stacks of reading material and notebooks and would have it all laid out, with her highlighter.”
During her time on the council, Debay represented Newport Beach on the Orange County Sanitation District and the Southern California Assn. of Government’s Housing Committee. Before terming out in 2000, she was sworn in as president of the O.C. League of Cities.
Several notable local landmarks were established during her tenure, including the Balboa Island Fire Station, Central Library and Castaways Park. In 1997, she helped dedicate Bob Henry Park on Dover Drive in honor of a 30-year-old NBPD officer killed in the line of duty in 1993.
“You feel like you should be able to do something to help,” Davis recalled her mother once saying of the tragedy. “But out of hard times have come good things. This park is a tribute.”
Debay herself knew about hard times. Born April 2, 1937, in Dodge City, Kan., she lost her mother to leukemia when she was 2 years old. Her father went off to serve in World War II soon after, leaving her with her maternal aunt and uncle in Hollywood.
She attended Hollywood High School and later UCLA, where she met Terry, a UCLA football star and MVP of the school’s only national championship team in 1954. Debay worked as a location nurse for Universal Studios, tending to crews on the sets of “Columbo” and “The Sting,” among others. Also in the 1970s, she earned her real estate license.
While in office, she earned a reputation as a fair and non-partisan official who viewed local government as a calling rather than a career, according to her daughter. After leaving the council, Debay joined Orange County Water District’s board of directors, from 2001 to 2010.
Newport Beach Councilmember Erik Weigand acknowledged Debay’s legacy at Tuesday’s regular City Council meeting, adjourned in her honor.
“Those who knew Jan remember her as a graceful compassionate leader who always put public service above politics and believed in working together for the good of the community,” he said. “We are grateful for Jan’s many years of service to the lasting legacy she leaves the city of Newport Beach.”
In their later years, the Debays lived in Taos, N. Mex. and in the Northern California towns of Moraga and Santa Rosa, spending time with each of their three daughters and their grandchildren before Terry succumbed to a stroke in 2021.
Davis said although the couple lived in many places, Newport Beach and that little A-frame house always held a special place in their hearts.
“That was just such a big piece of our lives,” she said.
Debay is preceded in death by her husband of 63 years and son-in-law Hugh Braselle. She is survived by daughters Lisa Braselle, Lori Crowley (Michael) and Lynn Davis (Rick) along with eight grandchildren.
Her family plans to hold a private service to celebrate her life.
