Gigi Isabel Vilardi, age 24, died unexpectedly and unintentionally on December 21, 2018.

Gigi suffered from Drug Addiction, a misunderstood, crippling and feared disease. Every day, we held hope that she would win her battle against this terrible illness. But it pursued her until she took her last breath, a breath that we hope set her free.

Gigi was born on July 13, 1994 in Springfield, Illinois and lived in Pensacola all her life. It is impossible to capture her life in an obituary. From her first breath, she was a force to be witnessed. She was beautiful. She was spirited. She was determined. She was fierce. Above all else, she was incredibly loved and treasured, in the bright days of her life and more so in the dark days of her addiction. Everyone deserves a million chances. We tried to give her every opportunity to succeed.

Gigi is preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Arthur and Arlene Vilardi, her uncle, Todd Vilardi, and her maternal grandfather, Robert H. Perkins.  She is survived by her parents, Guy and Leslie Vilardi, her siblings, Josh Vilardi and Zoe Vilardi and her two beautiful children, Jonah Vilardi and Maggie Larsen. In her children's faces we see her new life and potential.

A memorial celebration will be held at The Garden Center, 1850 N. 9th Avenue, Pensacola on January 5, 2019 from 11am-1pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Gigi's name to the Women's Intervention Services and Education (WISE), a program run by the Community Drug and Alcohol Council, designed to help pre- and post-natal women to stay clean and sober. You may send your contribution to: CDAC Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., In Memory of Gigi Vilardi, 3804 N. 9th Avenue, Pensacola, FL 32503.