María Teresa Clanchet "Teri" Delclos

1929 - 2025

María Teresa "Teri" Clanchet Delclos
09/14/1929 - 10/03/2025
María Teresa "Teri" Clanchet Delclos passed away peacefully on October 3, 2025, in Houston, Texas, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on September 14, 1929, in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain, the eldest daughter of a family whose resilience through the Spanish Civil War would profoundly shape her character. As a child, Teri endured years of turmoil, moving from village to village while her family sought safety. Those difficult times taught her perspective and gratitude - that life's daily worries are small in comparison to what can truly be lost.
As a teenager in Tarragona, she met her future husband, Luis Delclos Soler, with whom she shared a lifelong bond of love, devotion, and adventure. They married in 1955 and, foregoing a honeymoon, departed the very next day for Manchester, England, where Luis began his residency at the Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute. In 1960, with three young children in tow, they emigrated to the United States, settling in Houston, where Luis joined the faculty at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Though she made her home in Texas, Teri never lost her connection to Tarragona, maintaining deep and lasting ties with family and friends there throughout her life.
Teri and Luis shared 61 years of marriage, filled with love, laughter, and a deep sense of purpose. Family was always at the center of Teri's world. Her home was a welcoming haven - open not only to her six children but to friends, neighbors, and the growing community of Spaniards arriving in Houston in the 1960s. Before there was a Spanish Consulate, her home often served as an unofficial gathering place for newcomers - young doctors, families, and patients seeking care. To all, Teri was a role model: a generous host, wise listener, skilled cook, tireless organizer, and comforting presence in times of need.
Those who knew her will forever remember her radiant smile - one that always matched the warmth of her eyes and seemed to light up entire rooms, especially when children were near. The mere sight of a child could awaken her joy and kindness in an instant. After Luis's retirement, Teri and he traveled widely, often returning to Spain, where they renewed old friendships and created new memories.
Teri's final years were spent surrounded by the love of her ever-growing family - six children (George, Luis, Henry, Martha, Marc, and Sandra) and their spouses, 21 grandchildren and spouses, and eight great-grandchildren - and, fittingly, by children, whose laughter and presence always filled her heart.
Her life was a testament to courage, grace, generosity, love and the soothing value of a quick wit - qualities that will continue to shine through the family and friendships she nurtured so deeply.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 4:00 pm, in the Lahart Chapel of St. Ignatius at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, 8900 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, Texas 77036
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Teresa Delclos' name to: MD Anderson Cancer Center at https://www.mdanderson.org/donors-volunteers.html or Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Attn: Development Dept., 8900 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036.