Mandi DiFalco

Mandi Morris DiFalco, beloved daughter, wife, mother, and friend, passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada, surrounded by her loving family, at the age of 43. This obituary celebrates her compassion, her joy for life, and the many lives she touched.

Born on September 30, 1981, in Baytown, Texas, Mandi was the cherished daughter of Rhonda Elliott and Milton Lewis Morris. She is survived by her devoted husband, Kevin DiFalco; her children, Sara Willbanks and her husband James; Denver Lopez; and Isabelle Schmitt; and her loving parents. She was a proud grandmother to JT Willbanks, Leslie Willbanks, and one grandchild on the way. Mandi is preceded by her paternal grandparents, David Morris and Norma Morris, and her maternal grandparents Maudice Reidland and Leslie Reidland. She is also survived by her older siblings, Cooper Dalhart and Carrie Wood.

Mandi’s journey was rooted in a fierce dedication to caring for others. After graduating from Blinn College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2010, she launched a career devoted to serving the aging population. Her work as a Registered Nurse in geriatric rehabilitation was marked by compassion, advocacy, and an unyielding desire to elevate the dignity and comfort of her patients. Mandi’s professional path culminated in vice president-level consulting roles in health care, where she influenced policies and practices to benefit countless lives.

Outside of her professional accomplishments, Mandi lived life with boundless enthusiasm. She cherished the outdoors—especially time spent on the water in the Gulf with family, camping in the desert or mountains, and exploring new adventures. She was an avid road cyclist and embraced her love of adrenaline as a skydiver and a master scuba diver. Among her many diving experiences, she was proud to have plunged into Iceland’s icy waters to touch both the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates at once.

Mandi’s smile filled every heart she encountered, and her generosity shaped her marriage, her parenting, and her friendships. She loved nothing more than sharing quiet evenings at home or time with her three dogs, Fish and Chips, as well as Winston, aka "Piggy," finding joy in both the extraordinary and the everyday.

The family wishes to extend heartfelt gratitude to the medical teams who cared for Mandi, especially her fellow nurses at UCLA, Mountain View Hospital, Nathan Adelson Hospice, Kindred, Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada, and Sunrise Hospital. Special thanks are owed to Dr. Haunschild, Dr. Venkat, Dr. Ayoola, Dr. Bell, Nurse Practitioner Josephine Evangelista, and their devoted teams, for your unwavering support, compassion, and for striving to give Mandi the most life in her days with us.

She leaves behind a legacy of selfless devotion and kindness that will continue to guide and inspire those who loved her. Mandi’s passing brings immeasurable sadness, but her memory will remain a blessing through the lives she enriched, the compassion she modeled, and the joy she shared so freely.

A funeral service will be held at Palm Cheyenne Mortuary in Las Vegas on August 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., with a reception to follow. Burial will take place at a later date at Lakeview Cemetery in Windsor, Colorado.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Mandi’s name to charity. Contributions may be made to the UCLA Gynecologic Oncology Education and Research Fund. Please make checks payable to “The UCLA Foundation”, indicate the gift is in memory of Mandi DiFalco in the memo line, and send the check to The UCLA Foundation, Attn: Gemma Makishima, PO Box 7145, Pasadena, CA 91109-7145. Gifts may also be made online at: https://giving.ucla.edu/campaign/Donate.aspx?Fund=64609C. For any questions, please contact Gemma Makishima at 310-405-4583 or [email protected] with any questions.