I volunteered at her initiative for five years. She paid attention to every single kid who walked in. She never let anyone feel invisible.
4 months ago
Lillian Grace Park
September 2, 1972 – January 28, 2026 · 53 years
"She poured herself into the world and the world was richer for it."
Biography
Lillian Grace Park was a community organizer, muralist, and mother from Oakland, California. She grew up in Koreatown Los Angeles, the daughter of immigrants who ran a dry-cleaning business, and carried their work ethic into everything she did. Lilly organized neighborhood clean-up campaigns, painted over 30 public murals across the Bay Area, and founded the Oakland Youth Art Initiative, which has served over 2,000 children. She died at 53, far too soon, leaving behind her husband Daniel, children Mia and Sean, and walls across Oakland that still carry her color.
Gallery
Messages & Tributes (15)
+ Write a MessageLilly could look at a blank wall and see a finished painting. She could look at a struggling teenager and see exactly who they were going to become. Both were gifts.
4 months ago
She was my best friend from the seventh grade. I still can't believe she's gone. She was so alive. The most alive person I've ever known.
4 months ago
She called me at 11pm to talk about a grant application and then stayed on the phone for two hours helping me write it. That was Lilly. Always giving more than you asked for.
4 months ago
She was on the phone organizing something until the day she couldn't get out of bed. Even then, she was giving directions from under a pile of blankets.
4 months ago