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Leslie Renee Parrilla

Riverside, CA, USA

January 3, 1973 - November 19, 2020

Jan 3, 1973 - Nov 19, 2020

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Leslie Renee Parrilla passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles on Thursday November 19th, 2020 at the age of 47. She is survived by her parents, Lee Parrilla and Victoria Martyna; by her two sisters, Lisa Fink and Leah Parrilla and by her brother, Lyndon Parrilla. Leslie was born in Santa Maria, California on January 3rd, 1973. Her family resided on 2 acres of open land in the small farm town of Nipomo. It was there that Leslie developed a strong appreciation for the natural world. She spent her free time in her childhood roaming the property playing make believe with her siblings, chasing chickens from the coop and riding bikes. She became passionate about playing piano and took first place in her local talent show. The family later moved to Newbury Park in Ventura County where she graduated NBP High School and went on to attend Ventura College during which time she developed a strong love for reading, ultimately leading her to receive a B.A. in English Literature at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles. She started working as a reporter for Los Angeles Times Newspaper in 1998 and continued working as a reporter for the next decade covering crime, city government, local and national news for the Ventura County Star (Ventura), The Associated Press (Iowa), The Tribune (San Luis Obispo) and The Press-Enterprise (Riverside). She received fellowships and awards for her investigative articles from the Associated Press, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and Scripps Howard News Service. Her investigative articles led to statewide nursing reforms and steered city investigators to address massive crime issues. She was dedicated to her craft and ultimately wanted to work abroad as a foreign correspondent so much so that she taught herself Spanish, traveled to Mexico for 4 months to become more fluent and invested in private lessons with a Spanish court reporter to develop a more technical vocabulary. Leslie only needed to put her mind to something, and she would achieve it, never willing to back down from a challenge. During her fight she developed expert medical knowledge of traditional, cutting edge integrative therapies and alternative treatments, ultimately founding an international cancer charity through UCLA to study alternative patients. To help others, she established the first online navigator for alternative cancer treatments and was always willing to direct others with their fight. Despite being a very private person, Leslie had many strong friendships and a deep Christian faith, volunteering with the church to build homes in Mexico and offer support to families in need. She did her best to keep from letting circumstances dictate her life and could be found sailing, dancing salsa, attending church, visiting friends and even traveling to a South Pacific island for treatment. She also cared deeply about how she personified herself, from the way she dressed to her moral and ethical character, always committed to goodness, morality and justice. Her passion for life radiated through everything she touched. She will be buried at Conejo Mountain Funeral home in Camarillo, California.

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