Beloved Former San Clemente Mayor, Stephanie Dorey, Passes Away

Mayor Stephanie Dorey (L) and Realtor Debbie Ferrari during a San Clemente Street fair.

WE WILL GREATLY MISS STEPHANIE DOREY

She, age 64, passed away Friday from malignant melanoma.

This is only Monday and I guarantee you, the accolades for Stephanie Dorey are just beginning. If there was a mayor who was actually BELOVED by a community, it was Stephanie.

Twas she who led the fight to “Derail the Trail, a city-proposed paved coastal trail that she and her grass-roots group saw as being incongruous considering the home town ambiance of our valuable beaches. She and her group won, and on an environmental platform, this ex-teacher got herself elected to city council on an environmental platform.

She also led the fight to squelch the state-sponsored plan to allow a double set of train tracks just above the beach. She won again, and helped create a San Clemente Watershed Task Force.

She even got our voters to pay a “clean ocean fee”to help reduce urban runoff. She got us to stop smoking on the beach and to restrict the use of styrofoam.

Her husband John, is a most stalwart man who was always at her side, providing support right to the end. I can only imagine his sorrow at the loss of such a splendid woman.

John asks that in lieu of flowers, we make donations to the San Clemente Watershed Task Force, one of Stephanie’s favorite projects.

Debbie