Theresa M. Pataky

Theresa Pataky, 98 of Bowie, Maryland, passed away peacefully at her home on July 22, 2025. Known to many as Terry, she was a proud member of “The Greatest Generation.” Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, she met her future husband, Bill, who was invited by a mutual friend to her 8th grade graduation party. They dated through high school and during his military service in the Army Air Corps in WWII, eventually marrying in 1947. Two little girls arrived in 1948 and 1949. In the early 1950s, they moved to their first home in Queens Village, a tree-lined suburb of New York City. After welcoming a son in 1965, the family relocated to Bowie, Maryland when Bill’s promotion required a move to Washington, DC. They were among the first residents of the Heather Hills community, where Terry would live for the next 60 years.

A consummate homemaker, Terry was known for her culinary skills as well as her acumen in the sewing room. Her almond cheesecake and Buche de Noel yule log cake became signature holiday desserts. (So beloved was her cheesecake recipe that a multi-tiered version became her son’s wedding cake.)

She had a definitive sense of style which epitomized the word, “fashionista” decades before the word was coined. She created many special occasion outfits for herself and her family, along with home decor, school costumes, and even her daughter-in-law’s bridal veil. Not only was she adept at designing and sewing, she wore her very fashionable creations with a timeless sense of chic. With her flare for fashion, Terry became a multi-award winning retail associate at the original Peebles Department Store in Bowie as a top retail employee. She was very proud of this recognition from her supervisors and the loyal following of customers who sought her fashion know-how advice.

Although never a water enthusiast herself, she was the namesake for two boats she and her husband owned, which cruised the waters of the Chesapeake Bay: the “Terry” and later the “Terry II.” After her husband retired, Terry again lent her name to his consulting business.

The warmest smiles on Terry’s face could be seen when she was surrounded by her family. As the family matriarch, she loved presiding over special events where she would beam with pride and tell her children and granddaughter how very proud she was of them and their accomplishments.

Terry was predeceased by her husband, parents, and her three siblings. She is survived by her children and their spouses: Rosemary Heher and Dr. Joseph Heher of Salisbury, Maryland; Dr. Patricia Green and Dr. Stephen Green of Davidsonville, Maryland; William L. Pataky and Yolanda Faile of Mountain View, California; as well as her granddaughter, Ashley Heher of Chicago, Illinois.

A private funeral will be held later this summer. Terry will be interred with her husband at Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery in Cheltenham, Maryland. Terry and Bill will once again be reunited, 85 years after they first met at Terry’s 8th grade graduation party. A wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and neighbor, Terry’s memory will be a blessing to those who knew and loved her.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Terry’s memory can be made to St. Jude’s’s Children’s Research Hospital or PBS television stations, WETA (DC) or MPT (MD).