Elena "Stela" Ester Ilescu

Stela was born in Romania in Criscior, Hunedoara on May 14th 1927, the child of Iosif Pop and Margareta Pop. She was a big sister to her step brother, Karcsy. She was very close to her grandparents and always lovingly shared stories about them.

After finishing high school she moved to a big city, Timisoara, where she started a teaching career that spanned over the next 35 years. She had a true passion for educating children of all ages and was a mentor and role model and beloved by all of her students. Later in her life she would often run into some of her former students and they always greeted her with love and respect.

She was also a caring and loving daughter and granddaughter and helped her family to relocate to the same city as her and took care of them as they aged.

At 37 years of age she met and married Ion Ilescu, the man she wanted to spend her life with. Three years later they had a daughter, Ligia, who became the highlight of her life. Stela dedicated her life to her daughter, and later on to her granddaughter, Diana. She also loved her son in law, Stefan, tremendously. When Diana was young, Stela watched her and spent time with her. She patiently spent so many hours playing hide and seek, drawing, and letting Diana “teach” her things and generally just boss her around. She was the most caring and loving mother and grandmother.

Stela was known for her joyous personality, for lighting up the room with the warmth of her beautiful blue eyes and smile. She was strong and courageous and in all circumstances looked ahead and always set another goal that she wanted to achieve. She loved her family fiercely and always protected and supported them. She touched many lives and many people loved her. She has special friends and relatives in Romania who miss her dearly. Stela will forever be remembered for her desire to always help others, for her optimism, resilience, and full-of-life personality.

Stela is survived by her daughter, Ligia, her son in law, Stefan, and granddaughter Diana with her husband, Patrick.

In remembrance of Stela, there will be a visitation on Saturday, April 3rd from 2:00pm-5:00pm at Fairhaven Memorial Services 27856 Center Drive, Mission Viejo, CA 92692. The graveside service will be held on Monday, April 5th at 11:00am at El Toro Memorial Park 25751 Trabuco Rd., Lake Forest, C