Debbie Narciso Richardson

Debbie Narciso Richardson (80) passed peacefully with family by her side on December 16, 2025. She is survived by her husband, James, and her children, Susan, Robert, Lily, and Stephanie. Debbie has seven grandchildren: Jacob, Gage, Leigh, Kelly, Amaya, Brett, and Aiden. She has three great-grandchildren: Sylas, Harvey, and Koji. Debbie was born in Porac, Pampanga, Philippines, to Luis Narciso and Anita Panimdim. Her father was a victim of war, and her mother died during childbirth due to complications. She was taken in by American missionaries after being found orphaned and was named Debbie. She was eventually reunited with her maternal grandparents and raised on their farm. As a young child, Debbie worked alongside her grandmother selling fish at the market and even learned basic Mandarin to help make sales to Chinese fishermen who frequented the area. She often spoke colorfully of her adventurous childhood caring for an ornery bucking horse and a beloved parrot named Mango. Debbie met her husband, James, while he was stationed at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. He would fall in love with her kind heart, beauty, and resilience, and marry her on November 16, 1966. Their love and loyalty to one another have remained steadfast for 59 years. The young couple returned stateside and started a family that would travel together for 25 years in the Air Force, getting orders to live in Virginia, the Philippines, California, Nevada, England, and Washington. Debbie was fiercely independent and successful, often raising four young kids alone while her husband was called to temporary duty, leaving the family apart for a year at a time. In his absence, she cared for her kids abundantly and worked to obtain U.S. citizenship in 1978. In addition, she earned a beautician's license and taught herself cake artistry, crochet, and macramé as a side hustle to support the family. After the kids were grown and flown, Debbie tapped into her entrepreneurial roots and opened her own coffee bistro in the South Hill Mall, Puyallup, Washington. Narciso’s was a popular destination for a caffeine fix, and she quickly became an expert barista, crafting specialty coffee drinks and selling fresh coffee beans from around the world. Her kids were blessed to work alongside and learn from her vault of business expertise. She would keep the coffee shop for ten years and retire only to pick up a fun part-time job at Macy’s selling suits in men’s furnishings. She didn’t stay part-time for long as her boss recognized her God-given talent in sales and pleaded to bump her to full-time status. Debbie would continue to work for several years at Macy’s, receiving awards for exceeding projected sales goals and building a fierce clientele list, fitting and styling the most dapper businessmen of the area. She loved her time there, but eventually had to officially retire from working because her battle with Parkinson’s began to take its toll on her body. Debbie spent her last years at home caring for her growing family, who visited often. She took pride in cooking Filipino comfort dishes for her family, caring for her pet dogs, and a parrot. She served as an usher for her church and participated in her bible study group. She loved the holidays most, spending time and effort to host elaborate dinners for family and friends and to fully deck out her house in holiday décor. Debbie leaves behind the gift of making others feel good and sharing God’s love. She was always the epicenter of our family, showing the most strength and love in good times and even when tragedy struck. Whether she was praying for a regular coffee customer falling on hard times or making someone feel comfortable and at ease as they bought their first suit, she was genuinely an angel reflecting God’s goodness. It is no coincidence that she leaves us near Christmas, her favorite time. Although we will heartbreakingly miss her affection and her silly jingles with our nicknames, we pray you can rest now, Mom. May your body be fully healed, and you remain comfortably in eternity as you so deservingly earned—Mahal ka namin, Nanay. Debbie will be laid to rest on December 30th with a Committal Shelter Service at 1 pm, Tahoma National Cemetery. A private family burial will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the American Parkinson Disease Association in honor of Debbie’s hard-fought battle.