After being diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia last summer, and following a six-month-long battle at both Ridley-Tree Cancer Center and The City of Hope, beloved mother, daughter, sister, cousin, and friend to many Kaelynn Ellyssa Stiles passed away on February 7, 2022. She was 28 years old.
The firstborn of high school sweethearts Forrest and Maria Stiles — who met as teenagers, have been together for 39 years, and have been married for 28 — Kaelynn lived a life full of love and good memories. Raised in the middle of a boisterous group of cousins, she learned early how to take her bumps and bruises, and she was fiercely competitive. I remember how she would let us know when she won, or lost, and exactly how she felt about it.
As she grew up, through Hollister Elementary, La Colina Junior High, Dos Pueblos High School, and Santa Barbara City College, she was surrounded by people drawn to her beauty, smile, and energy. She grew up in a home with her parents, a little brother and sister, a white picket fence, and as many puppies as could fit in the house.
