Obituary: Theresa Kathleen Stiles

Theresa Kathleen Stiles, 44, was born on March 13, 1965, in Huntington Park, Calif., to her parents William H. and Jeanette Stiles, who have been Prescott residents since August 1992; her soul returned to be with her Lord on Sept. 27, 2009.

After entering Arizona for the final time on a hospice transfer from her apartment in Glendale, Calif., on July 18, Theresa spent all but the last 40 hours of her far too short but meaningful life on in-home hospice with her parents. The physical and emotional support provided by Dr. Candace Reid and her dedicated staff at YRMC Hospice was exceptional and is much appreciated. As has been the support of our kind neighbors, local family, and friends!

Private services for family were Oct. 24, 2009, at Heritage Memory Mortuary on Grove Ave. Theresa's inurnment will be in the Stiles section of Greenwood Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Mich., at a currently undetermined date.

Theresa was born, raised, educated and employed in the driven lifestyle of southern California, but never lost a sense of purpose in life. She was a 1983 graduate of Los Angeles Lutheran High School (now located in Sylmar), attended Harbor CC, then Long Beach State, then worked for a Torrance attorney on the claimant side of Workman's Compensation. In 1990 she moved to the Pasadena area to switch to the employers' side of 'Workers Comp' for Willis-Caroon, now located in Phoenix. She then worked for Cambridge Integrated Services where an important account was Cedars Sinai Hospital; another was the LAPD. When her final employer, TriStar Insurance Group, underbid Cambridge on the current five-year contract, because of the high standards she brought to their negotiations, the LAPD requested that Theresa be "brought along" with the account. When her terminal condition forced her to "permanently disabled" status, she held the title "Executive Claims Adjuster."

Theresa's beauty was more than skin-deep. She had chosen to use God's gifts to her by applying her talents to excellence in the workplace, generosity to the less fortunate, and a caring presence for others facing difficult times. She lived life with energy, honesty, humor, a touch of wit and sarcasm. She was never too busy to mentor a colleague. Theresa was a 12th-generation Stiles in the USA. She enjoyed coming to Prescott to "unwind"; she loved to explore our antique offerings and sometimes was joined by California friends. She also liked to shop the Native American jewelry offerings in the old Ponderosa Mall.

Theresa is survived by her paternal Aunt Vera (James) Stewart of Prescott, Ariz.; five maternal aunts and/or uncles residing in Huntington Beach and San Jose, Calif., Elsah, Ill., Alexandria, La., Canyon Lake, Texas; and by 15 first cousins and their descendents. All her grandparents preceded her and she had known only her grandmothers.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to YRMC Hospice, 3262 N. Windsong Dr., Prescott Valley, AZ 86314, Attn: Hospice Board Restricted Funds; or, if you have Internet access, https://www.ovariancancer.org/donate.

Visit http://myweb.cableone.net/wmstiles/tks_obit for supplemental information.

Information provided by survivors.


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