Teresa Austin

1933 - 2020

Teresa Austin of Newark, Delaware passed away peacefully on May 19, 2020. She was 87 years old.

She was born in Cecilton, Maryland, the daughter of the late Watson and Katherine Austin.

Theresa worked for E. I. Dupont (Uncle Dupey) as a secretary until she started her family and became a mother. She later was a beloved daycare provider. She was affectionately known to her daycare children as “Mother Teresa” and remained in contact with many of them as they grew up.

Teresa was a very loving and generous person and full of spunk. She earned her driver’s license later in life and after that, no grass grew under her feet. She loved to dance and participated in and won many competitions. Her favorites were Ballroom, Cha-Cha, and the Jitterbug. She was also skilled at crocheting and made over 100 afghans which she took great pleasure in giving away.

Reading books was one of Theresa’s passions and she often donated them for others to enjoy. She also had a fondness for birds, especially cardinals, and liked feeding them. One of her favorite activities was spending time at the Hollywood Grill in Wilmington with her longtime companion, Joseph “Lightening” Kaufman.

In addition to her parents, Teresa was predeceased by her sister, Rebecca Schlatter (Rudy). She is survived by her three children, Michael Grebe (Sheli) of Middletown, Robin Bednash of Newark, and Donna Erickson (Donnie) of Lewes, Delaware with whom she lived. She also has six grandchildren who she adored, Jennifer, Mark, Matthew, Amy, Alex, and David (Pumpkin), and five great-grandchildren.

Special thanks to the nurses at Cadia Healthcare Broadmeadow, Shraddha, Tonya, and Kristy, for the excellent care and support they provided to Teresa. We’d also like to extend our sincere gratitude to Ms. Lynn from Delaware Hospice for her dedication to our Mom.

Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the St. Dennis Catholic Church, P.O. Box 249, Galena, MD 21635.