Lorena Pillado Runnels

Lorena Pillado Runnels was born on August 14, 1968, in Tijuana, Mexico, to Carolina and Manuel Pillado. She had four siblings: Lizbeth, Jafet, Edgar, and Lizeth. Their household was lively and full of warmth.

 

From her very first days, Lorena had a spirit that was hard to ignore, loving and tenderhearted, yet wonderfully stubborn. Her cherished Aunt Carmen recalls being kept awake through the night by a little Lorena who simply had to whisper “I love you” to her over and over again.When the family relocated to Imperial Beach, Lorena’s childhood blossomed into a season of happy, sun-filled days, tending to her chickens, playing alongside her younger siblings, and joining the family on camping trips in Mexico. Her teenage years were full of life. She had fun, but never lost sight of what mattered most. After careful study of the Bible, she dedicated her life to Jehovah on 12/21/1986. Despite a demanding schedule, she auxiliary pioneered whenever she could and completed her college studies by the age of 15. When she wasn’t working hard, she was living fully, spending long days at the beach, enjoying dance parties, and racing her beloved ’66 Mustang. It was around this time that she began attending an English congregation, where she met someone who immediately stood out from the rest. She was drawn to his maturity and his sincerity, and she knew he was different. Lorena and John Runnels were married on July 1, 1989. Together they built a family, welcoming three daughters: Ashley, Amber, and Audrey, and tenderly grieving three other babies lost to miscarriage. Lorena’s deepest dream was to one day have her entire family reunited for eternity in the new world to come.Through the years her daughters were growing up, she poured herself into every moment. She was always present at school events, volunteering in classrooms, and opening her heart to anyone who needed a mother’s love. It wasn’t long before she became everyone’s adopted mom because her warmth was that contagious.

 

In the early 2000s, the family began attending the Valley Center congregation, where they quickly found a community of lifelong friends. Lorena loved to spend long days in service in Valley Center with the friends and encouraged her nieces, Kayla and Eliana, and others to pioneer alongside her. Altogether, she pioneered for over 10 years, and even after her health limited her activity, she maintained her zealous pioneer spirit. She would take advantage of any opportunity that would allow her to talk about Jehovah. Lorena was approachable and warm. Her nieces recall how she never made them feel judged when she gave advice. Instead, she was patient, encouraging, and kind. She always encouraged them to put Jehovah first, but more importantly, she showed that through the way she lived.

Around this time, she was diagnosed with cancer for the first time. Lorena was a fighter and the strongest person any of us knew. Despite the difficult treatment, she beat her cancer. Although treatment and years of illness left her with chronic pain, she made it a point to always show up for people. Whatever they were going through, whatever they needed, Lorena was there. That was simply who she was.When cancer returned in 2025, she didn’t hesitate — she fought again, motivated by deep love for her family and Jehovah God. Doctors declared her cancer-free; she had beaten it yet again. Love was truly Lorena's defining quality—love for people, love for animals, and above all, love for Jehovah.

With family and friends, Lorena’s signature response to “I love you” was always “I love you more” — and she meant it, because she truly did love more.

If you knew Lorena, you knew how much she treasured her puppies--Unix, Muppy, and Baxter. She often said that dogs reflected Jehovah’s love, because there is something pure and wholesome in the way they give their hearts so completely.

 

Even when her respiratory illness had taken her voice, she still found a way to reach people. Without a single word, she managed to befriend her nurses—and they all talked about her kindness and warmth. That was Lorena. People could sense the depth of her love with only a few gestures.Lorena leaves behind a strong spiritual legacy. She was a loving person but she wasn’t afraid to stand up for what was right. She was known for saying, “What’s right is right!” And she always did what she believed was just and what Jehovah would’ve wanted.Lorena has run her race in full (2 Timothy 4:7) and can now rest peacefully free from pain, safe in Jehovah’s memory. We await the time when she “will hear [Jesus’] voice and come out” (John 5:28, 29) to enjoy the real life that Jehovah has promised us in the pages of his word.