Laura Ellen (Gillio) Stephens passed away peacefully on July 29, 2025 at the age of 74.

Born on Sept. 3, 1950 in Grass Valley, California, and raised in Sunnyvale, California, Laura graduated from Fremont High School before going on to attend UC Santa Barbara.

She raised her three children in Modesto, California, and later divided her time between Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Santa Barbara to be close to her children and grandchildren, who lived on opposite coasts.

Laura began her professional life as a teacher, then devoted many years to raising her family.

In 1997, she earned her Registered Nurse (RN) license, reflecting her deep compassion and care for others.

Later in life, she followed a lifelong dream of studying the law, earning her Juris Doctor (JD) degree online from Northwestern California University in 2021.

She took great joy in reading legal texts and preparing for the bar exam, showing her tireless curiosity and determination all the way up to her passing.

In her free time, Laura loved taking on home renovation projects, volunteering at her church café and youth group, and especially loved spending time with her family.

Her greatest joys came from cheering on her grandchildren at sporting events, music performances, and school activities.

Laura is survived by her sister Lisa Gillio-Wallace and brother-in-law Bob Wallace; her former husband John Stephens; children Danica Nash (Ethan), Elizabeth Stephens, and Christopher Stephens; and her beloved grandchildren Ari and Eli Nash, and William and Meredith Stephens.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20 at Santa Barbara Cemetery.



In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to support research toward a cure for cerebral amyloid angiopathy at https://www.angiopathy.org/support-us.