Leila Caparanga Amarra

Leila was born on February 9, 1953 to Cirilo Caparanga Sr. and Adela Sta. Cruz Caparanga. She was the eldest of six children and was raised in Alimodian with her siblings Adelia, Agnes, Cirilo Jr., Saturnino, and Joel.

She graduated Salutatorian from the Alimodian National Vocational High School in 1969 and graduated from the College of Nursing at Central Philippine University (CPU) in 1974. She first moved to America in 1977 to pursue her nursing career before returning to the Philippines to marry the love of her life, Gregorio Amarra, on May 24, 1981. She permanently moved to Quincy, Massachusetts with her family in 1989 and worked at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital for over 30 years as a nurse, charge nurse, and nursing supervisor until her retirement in 2017.

She was a pillar of the Filipino community in the Boston Area, where she warmly welcomed nurses immigrating to the US from the Philippines and shared her own cultural acclimation experiences and wisdom openly. She mentored a countless number of Filipino nurses throughout their careers and never stopped her own self-development, earning her Master of Science in Nursing from the MGH Institute of Health Professions in 2011. She was a natural leader and served as President of the Philippine Nurses Association of New England (PNANE) from 2008 to 2010.

Leila was a devout Catholic, who lived a faith-based life in service of the Lord our God. She made multiple pilgrimages throughout her life, including trips to the Holy Land, Fátima in Portugal, Our Lady of La Salette in France, and the Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina in Italy. She believed in service to others and spearheaded annual giving initiatives in her hometown of Alimodian during the holidays through the CARE PAMASKO program.

Leila had a passion for gardening and spent hours in her backyard tending to her hydrangeas. She loved baking and every celebration featured her special chiffon cake with butter icing. She traveled all over New England visiting her grandchildren and supporting their various organized sports teams. More recently, Leila enjoyed fun-filled evenings singing karaoke and line dancing, as well as weekend excursions with lifelong friends throughout the Boston area through their social group, SHARP (Share Happiness and Retire Perfectly).

Leila is survived by her loving husband of 44 years, Gregorio, children Leia (Matthew Balmforth) of Quincy, MA, Greia (Sean Marlow) of Bedford, NH, Greg (Bethany Amarra) of Castro Valley, CA, by her grandchildren Benjamin Marlow, Noah Marlow, Theodore Amarra, Felicity Balmforth, Clara Balmforth, Melanie Amarra, by her siblings and their spouses, and by her many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 22 and Monday, March 23 from 5-9 pm at Glen Abbey Memorial Park & Mortuary in Bonita. A Requiem Mass will take place at 10 am on Tuesday, March 24 at the Corpus Christi Parish in Bonita immediately followed by a graveside service and interment at Glen Abbey. All are invited to a Celebration of Life reception to follow at the Bonita Golf Course starting at 1 pm.

A celebration of life for local family and friends in the Greater Boston Area will be scheduled for a later date after the services in California.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Leila’s memory can be made to the Mass General Hospital Interstitial Lung Disease Program at tinyurl.com/leilaamarra