Vanetta Marie Pease

VANETTA MARIE PEASE, affectionately known as “Cissy” by her older brother Earnie, was born on July 5, 1951 in San Diego, California to Sammie Lee and Robert Vorties. She accepted Christ as a child, and was baptized at Bethel Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Dr. C. H. Hampton followed by Dr. John W. Ringgold. She grew up in Logan Heights community, where she attended Ocean View and Knox Elementary, O’Farrell Jr. High and graduated from Morse High School with the “Class of 1969”. Vanetta was a popular student and quite the joiner; participating in various committees and a member of several clubs throughout her school days to exemplify her school spirit. 

 After graduating high school, Cissy continued her education at Mesa College. Soon after she joined the workforce, trying her hand at various jobs including bookkeeping and office work.

In 1973, Vanetta was beautifully blessed with her daughter, Marisa. When her daughter was in high school, Vanetta was quite visible as well as active on campus, where she was highly recognizable by students and staff. During this time she was a part of or worked behind the scenes for various educational programs and organizations including the Association of African Americans in Education (AAAE), Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She soon discovered that helping neighborhood children succeed by any means necessary was her niche. In 1989, she became a parent / student advocate for The Center for Parent Involvement in Education (CPIE). In this capacity, she was able to communicate with school administrators on behalf of parents of at-risk or otherwise needy students, helping to find viable solutions for the benefit of the student. She was very passionate about education for black youth and devoted several years to CPIE, a nonprofit organization. The pay was low, but the reward was high.

Vanetta loved to travel, and in her later years spent time cruising with family and friends. Though her health ultimately restricted travel to faraway destinations, she did manage to get to places like the Bahamas, Hawaii, Jamaica and the Virgin Islands.  Stateside, one of her favorite destinations was Las Vegas, and in 1998, she visited and decided to stay. It was there she tapped into a hidden talent she had for advertising sales, and became an Account Executive in Urban Radio.  This job allowed her to combine her love of music with meeting interesting people while also handling concert bookings and VIPs. It was very enjoyable, and as a bonus she was able to give those close to her the opportunity to attend many concerts, and often meet recording artists, comedians and actors.

Among Vanetta’s hobbies were knitting, crocheting, word puzzles and adult coloring. She was also an avid reader and enjoyed traveling around the world through her books  without leaving home.  One Saturday out of every month she enjoyed nothing more than a game of Pokeno with the ‘Sophisticated Ladies” where they ate, drank, enjoyed girl talk, swapped stories and vented about their significant others.

During the past several years, Vanetta’s health challenges increased, which curtailed her ability to travel and work. Though she struggled with health issues her entire life and was initially not expected to live past the age of four, Vanetta managed to persevere to the point where many of her friends were unaware of her struggle. The struggle became too great and God collected her on Monday, July 9, 2018.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Vorties and Thomas and Sammie Lee Gatling as well as her brother, Earnie Cooper. 

She leaves to cherish her memory: her beloved daughter, Marisa McClanahan; sister, Deborah Vorties; aunt, Willie Mae Hunt; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends to mourn her loss, yet celebrate her life.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vanetta Marie Pease, please visit our floral store.