Amanda Mari De Lira

Amanda Mari De Lira was born in Ventura, California on July 16, 1986, the second of two children to Joe and Carmen De Lira. Although she only lived for 23 years, she impacted the lives of those who knew her in a deep and beautiful way. Amanda departed this life on November 21, 2009 surrounded by her closest family members and fiancé. As a child, Amanda experienced childhood emotions to the fullest: whether she was happily laughing and screaming in joy hysterically or sad and crying about something that didn’t make her feel good. She spent her early years inseparable from her sister Janée. Family outings and vacations spent with her Mom, Dad and Janée were the joy of Amanda’s life as a child. Throughout her whole life, it was always very important for Amanda to spend as much time with family and loved ones as possible.Growing up, Amanda was a shy, young girl who only selected friends that she could connect to with the heart. She was always a very heartfelt person even until her passing. On birthdays and special occasions, Amanda would spend hours making personalized jewelry and stationery for family and loved ones that were genuine and from the heart. In December of 2001, Amanda met the love of her life, Ryan Hoxmeier. They knew they were soul mates when they discovered that they were born on exactly the same day, July 16, 1986. They dated throughout high school and college and eventually became engaged to wed in 2009. Amanda and Ryan enjoyed hanging out with one another: whether it was watching movies at home or going to Disneyland. One of the happiest days of Amanda’s life was when Ryan asked Amanda to marry him and she said Yes! After graduating from Ventura High School in June 2004, Amanda went on to attend college full-time attending Ventura College, California State University Long Beach and Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). She graduated with honors and received her associates degree in Sociology at SBCC in May 2009. Amanda enjoyed playing the guitar and writing lyrics during her high school years. She painted and created many wonderful artworks as well. She also wrote poetry and had several poems published through poetry.com and in a book titled “Muse of the Heart” from the International Library of Poetry. She was a creative artist who used music, art and poetry to express her innermost emotions.Amanda was a supporter of Grey Foot Cat Rescue where she adopted her cats, Xena and Willie. She strongly believed in promoting an eco-friendly environment through recycling, reducing waste and volunteering in local community events. She was also an active member of PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals). Amanda was a loving daughter, sister, fiancé, granddaughter, cousin, niece and friend. She was someone whom, if you knew her, you would describe her as sweet, thoughtful and precious. She was always so full of life and had something to offer whether you were ready or not. If Amanda were still here today, she would remind us to “Live to be Yourself”, “Love with all your Heart” and “Never give Up because Life is too Short”…