Fessenden served local customers for 25 years

Debbie Fessenden received recognition from Waffle House owner Joe Rogers, Jr. when she celebrated her 25th anniversary, above.

After more than 25 years of serving customers, and knowing the orders of her regulars before they even walked through the door, Waffle House employee Debbie Fessenden, 59, died last Wednesday, October 31, after complications from surgery.

Fessenden was a longtime resident of Pensacola and had served the communities of both Pensacola and Gulf Breeze for over 25 years at area Waffle House restaurants. Her family expressed gratitude to her Waffle House friends and "family" from the Gulf Breeze proper restaurant where she served for 20 years.

She celebrated her 59th birthday this year on June 21.

Co-workers Annette Williams and Jackie Gillis say she will be remembered and dearly missed and was well loved.

"She was kind to everyone, she never met a stranger and she helped everyone she could," says Gillis.

"Anytime someone was in the hospital Debbie was the first one there," remembers Williams. "While my son was in Iraq, Debbie always sent care packages. At Christmas, Debbie always selected a child from church and made sure they had a Christmas. If someone had a fire or loss, Debbie would always take up donations to help."

Fessenden is remembered by friends and customers alike for always thinking of others.

Ed Miller, Waffle House Field Controller says, "Debbie was "A Very Special Person."Customers enjoyed her, she was a joy to work with. Debbie had a lot of close relationships with customer and co-workers. One customer even took her on a cruise to Cancun, it was the first cruise in her life and she thoroughly enjoyed it. It was the thrill of a lifetime for Debbie."

Consistent with her customary giving spirit, when she returned excited from her cruise with her client, she immediately began saving for another cruise, and she planned to take someone along as a gift. Even before the slogan 'pay it forward' was made popular, Fessenden seemed to make it a representation of all she did.

According to many customers who were interviewed but preferred to remain anonymous, it was uncanny how many times they'd walked in the door at Waffle House and would find their favorite coffee, made to order, or a glass of iced tea with just the right amount of lemon awaiting them.

And when the Sweet n Low vs. Splenda debate began, Fessenden kept covert samples of Splenda in her pocket for those she'd learned preferred the "yellow one."

Many civic and business leaders start their days at Waffle House, and customers will find out one day at a time this week that a friend has "gone home."