NEWPORT BEACH, CA (BRAIN) — Debra Healy Deem, wife of Cycle Werks owner Paul Deem, died from injuries sustained in a collision with a minivan last month. She was 58.
Deem was riding her bike westbound on the Pacific Coast Highway near Newport Beach on August 27 when the collision with a minivan, also traveling westbound, occurred. She was wearing a helmet but sustained major head trauma and was taken to Mission Hospital in Newport Beach. Deem passed away on August 28.
Paul Deem, a former Olympic cyclist, is a cycling coach who owns Cycle Werks locations in San Clemente and Costa Mesa. He was also an executive with the Univega bike brand in the 1990s. Debra was an avid cyclist, mother and attorney. She recently retired as senior partner of Buchalter Nemer law firm in Newport Beach and had started a new career as director of a nonprofit organization to advocate for battered women in Orange County.
While the collision is still under investigation, the Newport police report that neither alcohol nor excessive speed caused the crash and that it was not a hit-and-run. Details about an arrest or citation have not been released.
Debra Deem is survived by her husband and two stepchildren Paul and Seth Deem. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Parima Parineh Foundation in Laguna Beach.
