Local Alessandra DeClario has died of cancer.
Born in New York, DeClario moved to Malibu in 1969. She earned a doctorate in humanistic psychology and worked with UCLArts and Healing, which promotes the use of the arts for mindbody wellness.
DeClario was an active member of the Malibu community. She formerly served as the president of the Malibu Art Association and was a CERT member. During her membership with the art association, she helped bring scholarships to local high school students. As an artist, DeClario’s work was displayed around Malibu, including at the Malibu Courthouse, and she donated paintings to local groups, such as the California Wildlife Center. She also fought for animal and environmental causes, contributing many Letters to the Editor for The Malibu Times.
In a Letter to the Editor, DeClario described her experience as a CERT member in the aftermath of the October 2007 fires in Malibu.
“This experience reminded me of the license plate saying that you sometimes see on local cars, ‘Malibu, a way of life.’ Yes, the Malibu people have a way of life,” she wrote. “It’s to help each other during these times of crisis.”
DeClario is survived by her husband, Michael Rosenthal.
A memorial service will take place April 27 at the Nichiren Shoshu Myohoji Temple, 1401 N. Crescent Heights Blvd., in West Hollywood, at 2 p.m.