Terri Lee Loverde

3/15/65 – 1/12/18

Terri Lee Benefiel, loving daughter, sister and wife was born on Monday, March 15, 1965 at Lakewood General Hospital in Lakewood, California. Her parents were Robert Wayne and Barabara Benefiel. She is survived by her sister, Cheryl Anne, her husband of two years and partner for 11, Erik Anthony as well as her two pets, Angel the Parakeet and Bodie the Malti-poo. As a small child she was very shy and loved to play in mud puddles when she was 2 and 3. She attended Willow Elementary School, Haskell Junior High and Cerritos High School where she graduated in 1983. She was a member of the Zone B Elementary School Band and played Clarinet. She marched in parades and was in the first Elementary School Band to march at Disneyland where she later went on to drive in the original Main Street Electrical Parade down Main Street.

She is remembered for her passion for animals and most of all birds, as well as her passion and love for children, which led her to her first job at KinderCare. Her love for the family pets, Mittens, Tigger and Felix the cats as well as her three dogs, Nikki, Sandy and Brandy is noted as well as she rejoins them, in spirit. She later went into the accounting field where she was commended several times by several employers for her commitment, loyalty, and accuracy because she had a way with numbers. She then went on to adopt and care for a wide variety of dogs, cats, lizards, exotic birds and other animals as well. She would cry when she saw a dead animal on the road as if she had lost one of her own. She loved spending time with her family laughing over dinners and grew up playing with her cousins Mark, Lanay, Claudia and Kris.

She enjoyed going on outings with her family to Las Vegas and along the coast as well as having adventures in her little blue Volkswagen Bug with her friends. She loved dancing, swimming, arts and crafts and going to amusement parks and concerts, scary movies and of course, The Halloween Haunt at Knott’s was an annual pilgrimage. She would like to be remembered for her thoughtfulness, truthfulness, kindness and helpfulness. She has been and always will be loved. She will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.

We always wanted Terri to be safe and thought that we could protect her from everything. However when she was diagnosed with cancer, it was difficult for all of us to deal with because it was out of our control. All anyone could do was provide her with comfort and pray that she could overcome this terrible disease. After a 17 year-long battle, she finally succumbed to her illness on January 12, 2018 at 5:45 am. May she rest in peace and may her family and friends remember her in their hearts till we can again be rejoined with her.