Hello, my name is Debra Ellison, and I have been fortunate to call Stockton, California, my home since birth. I am a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, cousin, a friend, a neighbor and now I am a gun violence survivor.
This path chose me on February 13, 2018 — the day my firstborn, my one and only son, was gunned down after interrupting an altercation between two teens. My daughter, his younger sister, passed a few months later — she had been ill for years. But we were left breathless by the heartbreak of losing him unexpectedly.
After the loss of my children, I have found healing and hope in what has become my pain-to-purpose journey. And I have worked in recent years to help others find purpose and process their pain through my nonprofit work and studies at the local community college.
Charles, affectionately known to many as Chuck, was a father, a grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and a friend to many. He was loving, smart, kind, funny, fun loving and family oriented. As our family continues to grow and to thrive, his presence is missed more and more.