Theresa Coffey
— Lords Point, Stonington Theresa M. (O’Connell) Coffey, 94, of Lords Point, Stonington, passed into her heavenly home Friday, March 19, 2021. A memorial Mass and burial will take place in
April at a date to be determined.
Theresa was born in 1926, in Cambridge, Mass., to Daniel and Helen (Murphy) O’Connell. She lived in Monson, Mass., for 40 years before moving to Stonington in 1993. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. William H. Coffey Jr.; and her siblings, Arthur, Fred, Joe, Bill and Gertrude (Lombardo) O’Connell.
Bill and Theresa were parents to six children: Pat Mayo (Wayne) of Springfield, Mass., Beth Musante of Chicopee, Mass., Bill Coffey (Linda) of Stonington, Dan Coffey (Dottie) of Stonington, Rosemary Kelley-Coffey (Terry) of Stonington and Paul Coffey of Shirley, Mass. She is survived by seven grandchildren: Christine Tomlin (Paul) of Manchester, Hunter Long of Stonington, Zachariah Kelley of Stonington, Theresa Pendant (Ryan) of Northridge, Calif., Mark Musante of Cromwell, Steven Musante (Haley) of Northampton, Mass. and Peter Musante (Ashley) of Seattle, Wash. Theresa was the proud great-grandmother of Junia and Abigail Pendant of Northbridge, Calif., David Schwartz of Manchester and William Schwartz of Clayton, N.C. She will also be missed by many nieces and nephews.
For many years, Theresa spent the winters in St. Augustine, Fla., where she had many friends, as well as several nieces and nephews who watched over her. She loved to play bingo, make lamps and windows out of stained glass and sew blankets and quilts for family and for hospitalized children. Theresa also loved to play cards and board games with family. She loved boating, fishing and swimming in the ocean.
For many years, she danced away Sunday afternoons with friends and family at Skipper’s Dock restaurant. In their younger years, Theresa and Bill were avid ballroom and square dancers. They golfed and won several awards at the Quaboag Country Club in Monson, Mass. Once her children were schoolaged, Theresa decided to further her education and earned a B.A. degree in education at Westfield State University, and an M.A. degree in special education at American International College. She taught at Monson Developmental Center, Monson, Mass., for 15 years.
The family gives heartfelt thanks to Dottie Coffey, who has been Theresa’s loving, compassionate caregiver day and night for many years. Dottie’s devoted care made it possible for Theresa to stay in the home she loved.
Goodbye to our wonderful, caring mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who loved and was deeply loved by so many. We will all miss her smile, her laugh and her hugs!