Obituary: Leila Ann Greenstone

Leila Ann Greenstone, who volunteered with several Burbank organizations, died July 21 in her North Hollywood home. She was 76.

Born Oct. 22, 1933 in the Los Feliz area, the family moved from the Glendale-Burbank area to Redondo Beach in 1936. Greenstone graduated from Redondo Union High School in 1951 and then attended UCLA, where she graduated with honors in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in theater and music.

She worked in advertising in New York for a year, then transferred to the company’s Los Angeles office. Some years later she started working for recording studios. In the 1960s, she was employed at Western Recorders in Hollywood. She scheduled many sessions for such legends as The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, and Frank Sinatra.

She worked for Kendun Recorders during the 1970s where she rose from answering phones to studio manager and finally to vice president of studio operations. She also worked in public relations for Sunny Bernstein Public Relations.

She was a performing member of the Burbank Civic Light Opera for 23 years and served as recording secretary, treasurer and president. With the demise of the Burbank Civic Light Opera, she was accepted in the choir at Burbank Temple Emanu El, where she sang for seven years.

Upon retirement in 1995, she volunteered through the Retired Senior Volunteer Program at Joslyn Adult Center in Burbank. She tutored at Luther Burbank Middle School in addition to reading to second-graders at Oxnard Elementary School in North Hollywood and tutored adults at Burbank Adult School.

She was preceded in death by her older sister Joan Lucas of Mount Shasta. She is survived by three nephews, Richard, Robert and Jim Lucas; as well as six great-nephews and one great-niece.