Teresa Isabel Olivas

Teresa Isabel Olivas, a long time South Bay resident, passed away peacefully on October 30, 2022 after battling lung cancer for almost seven years. She was surrounded by family and prayer in her last moments.

Teresa is survived by her mother Abigail, older sister Anna (Brian), younger brother Marcos, nephew and niece Brandon and Brianna whom she cared for as her own children, and her uncle Eddie. She is additionally survived by over 100 cousins, aunts and uncles. Her father Albert preceded her in death.

Teresa was born in Hawthorne, California and was a lifetime resident of Torrance, California. She attended St. Catherine Laboure for 1st through 8th grade then attended Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1992.

In 1997 she received her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of California, Irvine. Following college, she began a career with UCLA for 25 years. Starting as an Administrative Assistant with the Neuroenteric Disease Program and moving onto Lead Administrator of the research center. Ultimately becoming the Program Coordinator for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA with the Division of Digestive Diseases for the UCLA GI Fellowship Training Program.

Teresa embraced her Mexican heritage by dancing Ballet Folklorico at UCI and visiting her mother's childhood home in Mexico. She especially loved her niece and nephew whom she visited almost every Saturday from the day they were born. Her favorite pastimes included reading, puzzles, building Star Wars Legos, going to Disneyland, and watching films. Her favorites were Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Hobbit and anything with Harrison Ford. Teresa was also fond of her beloved cat Pasha. Halloween was her favorite time of the year, she particularly loved celebrating through the music of Danny Elfman. She was extremely close to her mom, they loved watching telenovelas and movies from the golden era of Hollywood.

Teresa was a gentle soul with a big heart and beautiful smile. She was loved so much.