Teresa Elaine (Webb) Terpening of Abilene was born To Dee L. and Phyllis (Pauley) Webb on August 8, 1949 in Hays, Kansas as the oldest of 6 children. She died August 2, 2021 at KU Medical Center following a long and courageous battle with cancer. She married Harold Terpening on November 26, 1971 in Woodston, Kansas.
She attended the Pleasant Valley School, District 11, in rural Osborne County through 4th grade. She continued school in Woodston from 5th Grade through high school and graduated in 1967. Following graduation, she attended and graduated from Kansas State Teachers College, now Emporia State University, and graduated in three and a half years with a degree in elementary education. She served many years as a classroom teacher, a reading specialist for elementary students, and the sponsor of student activities. She taught in the public schools as a first grade and special reading/math teacher in Axtell, Palco, Morland, Lenora, Abilene, Mankato, and Solomon, Kansas and was very active in the activities in those schools. One of her favorite things in all of the schools was her time spent as a cheerleading sponsor.
Through her professional and personal life Teresa was an active member of Beta Sigma Phi for 20 years, PEO Chapter JQ since 1991, KS State Reading Council, State Reading Analyst, and served in a variety of positions at their churches throughout the years including in the Youth Department, a member of and Director of the Choir, Church Secretary/Treasurer, and currently on the board of the Missions Ministry.
Teresa’s favorite charities and causes include her church, Leukemia and Lymphoma research, the Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.
She felt that the most important things in her life were her family and her teaching career. To her family she leaves this advice “Smile, be kind, and love each other. When all is said and done, you have each other.” If asked, she would share that her most significant desire is that her granddaughters are productive, loving, God fearing young ladies, and her students being successful in their endeavors. She will be remembered by all as kind and giving of herself.
Teresa was preceded in death by her infant daughter Carol Ann; her parents; her in-laws Dean and Eileen Cox; her grandparents; her only aunt and uncle, Everett and Eda Jean Hildreth and their daughter Raenetta Billings.
She is survived and will be deeply missed by her husband, Harold; son Jonathan Terpening (Sandy) and his daughters Brianna and Tia; daughter Kristy Druse (Kelly Miller), her daughters Konlynn and Bethany; sisters; Deborah (Kevin) Abbott; Rhonda (Gary) Renfro; Sonja (Malcolm) Penney; Monica (Bruce) Payeur; brother Dirk Webb; step-sister in-law Joyce (George) Shutts; step-brother in-law David (Faye) Cox; and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Missions group at the First Christian Church of Abilene or the KU Medical Center BMT Unit, Kansas City in care of the Martin-Becker-Carlson Funeral Home, 414 NW 3rd St, Abilene, KS 67410.
The service will be held at the First Christian Church of Abilene at 10:30 a.m., Monday, August 9, 2021