Rachel Leah (Steere) Saumell; loving and doting mother, dedicated and adoring wife, and  wonderful, witty, and supportive daughter, sister, and friend entered this life on November 12, 1975 in Sarasota, Florida, and departed on January 14, 2019 in Apollo Beach, Florida after a 4-year long courageous battle with cancer.

Rachel, an avid runner, also had a love for travelling, cooking, building and refinishing furniture, and constant reading and learning.

Her infectious laugh and zest for life, adventure, fun, emanated to everyone she knew.  Raised in Hillsborough County, and a graduate of East Bay High School, she earned her bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida.  Rachel pursued a career as an analyst for wireless telecommunications for many years.

Rachel's legacy includes her husband Herb, her daughter, Alison, step-son Zak, mother Joyce, father Jerry, sister Angela, brother-in-law Scott, nieces Susannah and Rebecca, grandparents Harry and Mary, and many in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends.

Moffitt Cancer Center treated Rachel for three years, and she and her family are grateful and appreciative of the efforts of the medical professionals who assisted her in improving the length and quality of her life.

The following organizations have been instrumental in prolonging her life, and donations to any or all of them in Rachel's honor are welcomed and appreciated, as well as your thoughts and prayers:

• Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.
• Joseph's Hospital South's Child Life Department in Riverview, Florida, which provides much needed assistance to children who experience the loss of a parent.
• The gifts of blood donation to Florida Blood Services or any local blood bank are also appreciated, since Rachel was the recipient of this life-giving resource many times during her fight with cancer.

A Celebration of Life gathering for Rachel will be held Saturday, January 19 ^th , 2019 at 2:00PM at New Hope United Methodist Church in Brandon, Florida, located at 120 N. Knights Avenue, Brandon, 33510.  An informal reception will follow on the property at Logan Hall.  Arrangements are under the artful care of Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, Riverview, FL.