Edward Armando Alegria

September 18, 1988 – June 2025

Edward Alegria was born at 3:04 a.m. at LA USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. His story began even before that moment — when his mother crossed the border from El Salvador, pregnant and hopeful for a better future. That pre-birth crossing became the invisible thread woven throughout his life, a life marked by movement, upheaval, and constant rediscovery.

As the oldest of three brothers, he saw a home held together by the strength and sacrifice of his mother, Blanca Perdomo, and the support of his stepfather, Rafael Tellez. His childhood was marked by constant movement between schools, neighborhoods, and the shifting search for identity and stability. That journey eventually led him into conflict with the law at age 12. But rather than being sentenced to juvenile detention, he was given a second chance: a year in El Salvador, away from negative influences and immersed in a new world. There, Edward lived and worked with his great-uncle, Juan Turcios, in the town of Jiquilisco, Usulután. He learned to operate heavy machinery and took pride in physical labor. He discovered a deeper connection to his roots and a growing sense of self-reliance.

In January 2001, he survived a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that destroyed the home he was living in. It was a life-altering experience that forced him to face mortality, resilience, and the fragility of everything we take for granted. And he discovered something else: that he could adapt, even when everything around him collapsed.

Returning to Los Angeles a year later, Edward faced the strange and painful dissonance of trying to fit a grown boy’s spirit back into a child’s desk. Reintegrating into school and life as a teenager in the U.S. after all he had seen and done proved difficult. His adolescence was marked by academic shifts, disciplinary battles, and restless energy. He struggled to fit in, and moved through multiple schools: Sun Valley, Hale Middle School, North Hollywood High, and later, non-public programs intended to support students facing academic or behavioral challenges. Each transition brought its own set of difficulties, but also new opportunities for growth and perspective.

A new chapter began when Edward and his family relocated to Las Vegas. There, he found both love and loss. At 19, he and his partner became pregnant, a moment that brought both excitement and fear. They shared dreams of a future. Edward felt something shift, a purpose, and direction.Tragically, they suffered a miscarriage. A loss that devastated them both. In the aftermath, both he and his partner struggled to cope. The grief was overwhelming, and in trying to numb it, they began to lose themselves. It was a painful chapter marked by confusion, isolation, and the creeping pull of self-destructive choices.

Eventually, Edward made the difficult decision to step away. With the support of his family, he returned to El Salvador, not to escape, but to reclaim himself. Surrounded by familiar faces and the slower rhythm of rural life, he began to heal. The time away gave him room to reflect, reset, and remember who he was beneath the pain.

When he returned to the U.S., life shifted again. He joined a traveling sales crew, where he discovered a gift for connecting with people. Motivational training, cross-country travel, and team camaraderie helped him sharpen his voice and purpose. He was proud of the growth he experienced there. Edward was never afraid to explore. He took a job in Alaska during one of its brutal fishing seasons, catching salmon in intense conditions. It was wild, demanding work, and he did it without complaint. Life, at times, was unsteady. Edward experienced homelessness and uncertainty. But he always found his way back. He returned to Las Vegas regrouped, reconnected with family, and began looking forward again.

Eventually, Edward set out for Seattle, searching for a fresh start. There, he found something he had long craved: stability. He had a job. He rented an apartment. He bought a car. He was proud, not just of what he had, but of who he was becoming. Edward Alegria was a man who lived many lives within one. His legacy wasn’t etched in gold or fame, but in grit, transformation, and relentless perseverance. He was a son, a brother, a partner, a father, a friend, a hustler, a construction worker, a traveling salesman, a fisherman, a survivor. Above all, he was a man in constant pursuit of something better. His life was never easy, but it was never ordinary. He moved through the world with a restless heart, chasing change, reinvention, and redemption. He wore his scars like armor, each one a story of lessons hard earned and roads hard-traveled. Edward didn’t follow straight lines; he carved his own — sometimes stumbling, always striving.

To those who knew him, he was both storm and shelter. He could make you laugh, push your limits with his sharp honesty, and surprise you with sudden tenderness. His contradictions made him human. Your love makes him unforgettable.

Edward Alegria, beloved brother, son, and friend, passed away in Seattle at the age of 36 of a

broken heart.

Edward lived a life marked by deep struggle and even deeper love. He carried a heavy burden from a young age and yet he fought fiercely to build a life on his own terms. In the early years, Edward sought belonging in places that couldn’t always offer it. Later, through hardship and resilience, he found peace and a home in Seattle. There, he rebuilt himself. Quietly.

He stood tall again. He believed in his own worth.

He believed, fiercely, that he was finally ready to be seen, not as someone broken, but as

someone whole.

He loved deeply, even when he didn’t always know how to show it.

He was complex. Misunderstood. Protective. Brave.

He was a man who deserved more love, more understanding, and more time. And though he left us too soon, he left behind love, laughter, lessons, and the memory of someone who lived with a raw and relentless heart.

He is preceded in death by a child he loved deeply and never forgot. With all his heart he once shared he wanted nothing more than to spoil his child — and we believe he is with them now, finally able to give all the love he had saved. Together, may they know the joy, peace, and belonging he always longed for.

He will be remembered for the depth of his journey and the love he gave, even when it hurt to do so.

Silent tears. Grief doesn’t disappear — it just settles into the spaces he would’ve filled.

My brother.

He lived like a storm — messy, loud, impossible to ignore — but when he passed through, things grew where there was once nothing.

His presence changed people. He challenged, he stirred, he disrupted. But he also nurtured. Inspired. Planted seeds. And even now, in the places he touched, there is growth. May he rest in the peace he spent a lifetime chasing.

Edward is survived by his loving mother, Blanca Perdomo, and stepfather, Rafael Tellez; his biological father, Oscar Alegria; his brothers, Johnathan, Jose, and Carlos; and those who loved him and were touched by his story.