Connie Lee Cabrera

Connie Lee Cabrera (Savin, Samoilov, Ramirez, Gomez) passed away on November 21, 2019. Connie was born January 2, 1954 in Salem, Oregon and was 65 years old. She was born to Fredrick D. and Helen K Savin in Salem, Oregon. She is survived by her husband Pablo A. Cabrera and son, Vasily "Billy" Samoilov; siblings, Kay Audrey Ossie Beal, Patrick Donald Savin and Wanda Lynn VanAnterwerf. She was preceded in death by her only daughter, 15 year old Sonya Marie Postnikov-Samoilov, she was killed on June 21, 1998 by a drunk driver. Connie was also preceded in death by her parents and baby sister, Dee Maureen Savin. Connie was a 1972 graduate of McNary High School in Salem, Oregon. She began her work career with the state of Oregon DMV as a temporary file clerk for 3 months, and then worked for Saffron Supply in Salem as an office manager for 28 years. While working for Saffron Supply she also worked night shift as a second job for the state of Oregon Department of Revenue for 3 years season tax processing. On June 21, 1998 Connie lost her daughter, Sonya to a drunk driver and had to remove her from life support. Connie worked 2 more years for Saffron Supply then went to work for Salem Clinic as a medical receptionist for 3 years. She then went to work for State of Oregon Department for Human Resources, then Department of Justice Child Support Division for 15 years as an accounting technician 2. In 2015 Connie had to stop working after 43 years. She always worked to provide for her 2 children. She did not receive welfare assistance of any kind. In 2015 her health mandated that she stop working. In 1984 she had a near fatal car accident which caused many health problems later in life. This accident was caused by Connie's own drunk driving at the time. Connie did not drink any longer after June 21, 1998. She was a social drinker who liked to drink on weekends only. After Sonya's death in 1998 by a drunk driver, Connie became an advocate against drunk driving. She was a volunteer speaker for Marion County Victims Impact Panel for over 20 years; she was also appointed by the Governor to the Governor’s Advisory Committee on DUII and testified multiple times before the Oregon Legislature regarding drunk driving. She did have to resign from the committee in 2015 because of health issues and not being able to commit to the schedule. Connie is a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Salem and services will be held there followed by placement at City View Cemetery in Salem where her beloved daughter, Sonya Marie Postnikov-Samoilov; parents and baby sister are also buried. To help ease the burden of the family, donations can be made on this page to help cover related funeral and burial expenses.