Dr. Angela Marie Burnell PhD

Dr. Angela (Angel) Marie Burnell, PhD was a dedicated daughter, sister, and aunt. Angel passed away on Saturday, November 18, 2023. She was born at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Apple Valley, CA, on May 5, 1966, to Grady and Maryeon (Collins) Burnell. She attended Del Rey Elementary School and Victor Valley Junior High School. She graduated from Victor Valley Senior High School in 1984. She was a lifelong resident of Victorville, CA.

After graduating high school, Angel attended the University of Southern California (USC) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences in 1988. After graduation, she was hired at Vidac, the Separations Group, in the Quality Control Department. She worked for Vidac for about ten years and attained the position of Quality Control Manager.

Angel has always had a special place in her heart for children, which led to her becoming an advocate for children who are at risk. So, she returned to school in 1998 to get her Masters at the California State University, San Bernardino and graduated with a Master of Science in School Counseling and Guidance in 2000. Angel was still working on her education and returned to college once more in 2009 to work on her Doctorate in Philosophy at Walden University. While at Walden, Angel received her Master of Philosophy in Psychology in 2019. After years of hard work and studying, in August 2023, Angel received her Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology.

After graduating from CSUSB, she worked with Alpha Treatment Center in Victorville, CA, as a Social Worker/Counselor providing therapeutic intervention for foster children for 8.5 years. She worked as a School Psychologist at Silver Valley USD in Yermo, CA. Upon leaving Silver Valley in 2005, Angel worked as a Behavior Intervention Specialist at D/M SELPA in Apple Valley, CA. In 2006, she received a call from the Adelanto Elementary School District (AESD) office asking her to apply for a School Psychologist position. So, after leaving D/M SELPA, Angelshe took the position at AESD as a School Psychologist. In 2018, she left AESD and went to work for Barstow Unified School District as a School Psychologist until her passing.

Angel was preceded in homegoing by her parents, Maryeon and Grady; her brother Andre; her grandparents, Paul and Willie Mae Collins, Edmund and Ruth Burnell; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her sisters Stephanie and Nari, and brother Don. Her nieces and nephews: Johanna, Robert, Desirae, Amber, Joseph, Shanna, Arianna, Dawnielle (Kris), Daniel DiMaio (Linda) and Laurie Angel (Johnny), and Tommy Thompson; and grand nieces and nephews: Layla, Symarean, Maxwell, Andrew, Cassandra, Gabriel, Matthew, Tasianna and Nathan; and a host of beloved family and friends.