Theresa Spiteri

1932 - 2021

Theresa Spiteri
March 4, 1932 - September 6, 2021
With sorrow in our hearts, our dearest mother Theresa Spiteri has passed with her adoring children blessed to be at her side at the hour of her calling.

Born in Marsa, Malta to Spiru and Antonina Spiteri, she was the youngest of eight siblings. She lost her mother at the age of four and her father at eleven. Although all of her family contributed to her upbringing, her wonderful sisters Maria and Ines —with help from Angela, a kind neighbor— assumed the role of protective mothers. Together, they helped raise Tessie to be the gentle, loving, independent and fun-loving young woman of deep faith who had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary.

In 1950, Tessie married the love of her life, Frank Spiteri, at Holy Trinity Church, Marsa. Within five years, they had built their own house in Hamrun and became the parents of their first three children: Tony, Betty and Miriam.

Mom and Dad migrated their young family to San Francisco, California and settled in the Bayview District — which at that time had a flourishing Maltese community, church, school and social club. They eventually bought a house in the nearby Portola District and immediately made many long and lasting friends.

Mom excelled at a variety of jobs but found her true calling at Mt. St. Joseph's Orphanage. Working alongside the Daughters of Charity, she served as a mother surrogate to many teenaged girls.

Mom welcomed their youngest daughter, Dorothy, and in the coming years Mom was also made a proud grandmother and great-grandmother. Besides cherishing her own, Mom also day-cared for many other children who affectionally called her Nanna and were lovingly spoiled by her kindness, tenderness and yummy barley soup!

In 1984, our Mom lost our Dad after his two-year battle with leukemia. She tended to his every need during that difficult time.

Despite losing both parents by age 11 and being widowed at 52, Mom never let life's setbacks define her or hold her back. Although her life could never be the same, she had an uncanny ability to constantly adjust and persevere. She continued to live her life to the very fullest, enjoying every possible moment, filling it with family events and activities with her circle of loyal friends.

Mom began to travel frequently to Malta and to Chatham, England to visit her siblings, her in-laws and their families whom she cherished.

Her last trip home to Malta was during the Easter season of 2011 and included a separate visit to the Vatican — one of her life's dreams come true. She participated in the Papal Mass celebrated on Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square and in all of the events of Easter Week in Malta.

Mom leaves behind her four children; Tony (Rosalie) Spiteri, Betty (Larry) Hayes, Miriam (Marcel) Lacues and Dorothy (Michael) Sala. She is fondly remembered as Nanna by her six grown grandchildren: Adrian (Erica), Randy (Pamela), Michelle, Nicole (Steve), Matt and Kelly and as Buz-Nanna to six great-grandchildren (Eva, Danielle, Charlotte, Logan, Corissa and Ellie). Mom is also survived by her brother Gejtu (Violet) Spiteri and sister-in-law Emily (Anthony) Degiorgio, and many nephews/nieces and cousins in Malta, England and the San Francisco Bay Area.

We wish to sincerely thank Mom's dedicated circle of caregivers who unfailingly saw to her every comfort. These angels cared for her as if she was their own mother: Larraine and Pinky; Vivian, Cassandra, Sesilia, Malia, Zee, Noxie, Non, and Karina; hospice nurses and doctors at Pathways and Vitas; Dr. David Jones; and Anthony Paladino who gave Mom Holy Communion every week until COVID arrived. We will never forget any of you. We will always be grateful that God found all of you to help take such special care of our Mother.

No words are ever adequate to describe our deep love and the closeness we all felt for our Mother. And although our hearts can never be whole again, we are consoled that she is again with our Dad, her mother and father, and her siblings in Heaven. We rejoice in Mom's unselfish life that touched and helped so many.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Theresa Spiteri's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html

Services: Visitation will be held at Our Lady of Angels Church, 1721 Hillside Drive, Burlingame, California 94010 on Thursday, September 16, 2021 between 6:15 - 8:00 PM, with a Rosary being offered at 7:00 PM. The Funeral Mass will also be held at Our Lady of Angels Church on Friday, September 17 at 10:00 AM. Interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 1500 Mission Road, Colma, California 94014. Family and friends are then invited to lunch at the Elks Club, 920 Stonegate Drive, South San Francisco immediately afterwards. Please note that masks are required at all services and will be available if needed.