Nadia S. Cantuña

Nadia S. Cantuña, 44, born on March 24, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, passed away June 20, 2025. She resided in Sherman Oaks, California at the time of her passing. Nadia was a beloved wife, devoted mother, cherished daughter, loving sister, proud dog mom, and a treasured friend to many. She was also a supportive, loving sister-in-law, aunt, and cousin, whose presence brought warmth and connection to every relationship she nurtured.

Nadia will be remembered as a woman of remarkable strength and profound empathy. She lived with independence, courage, and a heart full of generosity. Her professional life was devoted to helping others, tirelessly advocating for families and communities in need. Nadia’s work was guided by compassion and left a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing her. Her unwavering commitment to service was matched only by the deep love and care she extended to those closest to her.

Her education included B.A.s in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of La Verne, College of Law.

She devoted herself to working in the non-profit sector which included agencies such as the Alliance for Children’s Rights, California Lawyers for the Arts, and the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation where she served as the Director of Operations. Her passion has always been to advocate and serve family caregivers who are caring for loved ones with chronic illnesses. Due to the success of the Spanish Family Caregiver Program she launched in 2010 under Leeza’s Care Connection, she was awarded “Distinguished Woman of the Year” in the 2012 editorial series of the La Opinion newspaper.

Nadia was also the Community Relations Manager at Belmont Village, Hollywood, where she assisted and guided families who were seeking placement into an assisted living or memory care environment. In her spare time, she served on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic-Jewish Women’s Alliance, participated as a Qualified Dementia Care Specialist on the Oversight Committee for the UCLA Patient and Caregiver Goals Study with the UCLA Alzheimer’s Dementia Care Program. She led Caregiver Support Groups in Spanish under the Alzheimer’s Association for those who are caring for loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Most recently in her career, consistent with her devotion to serving others and advocating for families, she was the Director of Membership at Watermark Retirement Communities, Westwood.

Aside from Nadia’s commitment to serving others, her most important role in life was becoming a mom. She expressed about her daughter Angelia, “She is my favorite part of my life. She is my sunshine, my motivation, my hero, and happens to be the wisest 13-year-old I know reminding me that God is watching over us.” About Angelia’s father, Andres Fiorani, she expressed, “Honestly, I am grateful to have a good man by my side. He is truly our rock. He is always ready to move heaven and earth with me – anything for our Angelia! You can get through anything with some love, laughter, a whole lot of ice cream!”

Family and friends are familiar with her loud, contagious laugh, followed by her beautiful smile. She never hesitated to be silly and had a wonderful sense of humor. She loved family gatherings with cousins, outings with her family, and getting into mischief with her sister-in-law, Leticia Cantuña. She also loved shopping with Leticia and Angelia followed by late nights of Lifetime movies. She enjoyed listening to Bossa Nova jazz, dancing, swimming, going to the beach, family dinners at Lawry’s restaurant, her El Torito grilled chicken salad, Rite Aid’s Chocolate Brownie and Cookies'N Cream ice cream, and Cold Stone’s strawberry rendezvous.

Nadia is survived by her loving family, husband, Andres Fiorani; daughter, Angelia N. Fiorani-Cantuña; father, Angel Cantuña; mother, Martha Cantuña; brother, Byron P. Cantuña; niece, Isabella L. Cantuña (Linda Palsulich); sister-in-law, Leticia Cantuña; and extended families, the Cantuñas, Fioranis, Acostas, and Cajas.

Her memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

Arrangements are under the care of Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, CA.