Over her 78 years my mom raised many glasses in toast with friends and family saying the words, “Salute, cent’ anni” and signing so many of her handwritten loving cards with the words, Per Cent’ Anni. The literal meaning of these words in Italian is “for 100 years.” But the significant meaning to my mother (who was a lover of language and words) was “May you be so lucky to have a hundred years of these kinds of days and enjoy all of these kinds of moments surrounded by friends and family.”
We lost Theresa C. Delaney on December 31st 2020 from complications from a diagnosis (only a couple months prior) of multiple myeloma. Due to Covid-19 the circumstances of her loss were by no means normal. At the time, because of the lack of vaccinations and hospital rules, we were unable to be with Theresa during the last few weeks of her life. We were not able to be by her side during her last days. Although in her final moments she was not surrounded in person by the people she loved most, she was most definitely filled with the thoughts and memories of the beautiful life she lived and the people she loved. If you were lucky enough to share even just a moment with my mom you were surely blessed with her smile, her wit, her humor and her love.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 continues to restrain our ability to celebrate together the life of Theresa C. Delaney. Most recently we have had to limit the capacity for those in person to join us in Theresa’s Celebration of Life. So many of you had such a profound impact on my mother, and we know she was touched by every one of her relationships. Whether you knew her from her volunteer work, or as a mother in Bogota or Teaneck, or as a Spanish teacher, or as a loving grandmother at a school performance, we know she was honored to have known you. We hope you can take a moment to celebrate her life with us here.