Longtime Alameda resident and entrepreneur Vicki Lapp passed away on February 10, 2025. She was born May 19, 1963, and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, graduating from Park Hill High School in 1981. She earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology, where she graduated cum laude in 1985. Upon graduation, she moved to the Bay Area, initially working in engineering sales and corporate training. Along the way, she discovered her love of beading and started a home-based business, teaching jewelry-making classes and growing a community of fellow beading enthusiasts. In 2004, she merged her analytical skills, creative drive, and entrepreneurial spirit by opening Bead Inspirations at 1544 Park Street.
Vicki was a fierce competitor, whether playing tennis, pickleball, or Scrabble. She loved music and was drawn to many forms of dancing, particularly contra dancing, and spearheaded a local dance in Alameda during the pandemic. She played violin/fiddle and piano, and helped make the “von Lapp family Christmas carolers” a family tradition. In addition to jewelry-making, she dabbled in many hobbies, from painting and photography to pottery and pressed flower arrangements. She loved to ride her bike around Alameda, swim in the ocean, kayak in the harbor, and hike in the redwood forests.
She was inquisitive about spirituality and active in Alameda-based Home of Truth, where she had served on the board and led discussion groups. When she was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, she became an expert in the disease and made every effort to stay positive despite the hardships of treatment. She enjoyed the support of numerous friends who were a constant presence in her life. She is survived by her father and stepmother Fred and Kathy Lapp, sisters Toni and Gina, nieces/nephews Sabine, Greta, Candice, and Cory, and countless admirers and spiritual travelers.
A memorial service will be on March 22 at 10:30 a.m., at the Home of Truth Spiritual Center, 1300 Grand Street, Alameda.
A contra dance will be held in Vicki’s honor on March 22 at the Home of Truth cottage, with a beginner’s lesson at 3:30 p.m. and dance with live music 4-7 p.m. Donations suggested.
