Therese Marie O'Connor

Therese Marie O'Connor November 15, 1956 - February 10, 2008 Therese died peacefully in Boulder after a long, courageous battle with breast cancer. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, educated at Fordham University, and came to San Francisco in 1988, where she met and married Keith Shandalow. Their son Nick was born in 1994 and daughter Kate three years later. Therese, who also obtained a masters degree from SF State University in special education, had a number of careers, but her passion was working with schools to better serve and integrate children with autism. The family moved to Boulder in 2005. Therese had a beautiful spirit and a passion for life even when life wasn't easy. She was warm, intelligent, fun, compassionate, curious, and exuberant, and she loved and was loved by many whose lives she touched in a deeply profound way. Therese is survived by her loving husband Keith; son, Nick; daughter, Kate; mother, Peggy; brothers, Ed (Diane), Kenny (Rosemarie) and Bill (Janet); many nieces and nephews, and many loving friends in the Bay Area, New York, Boulder, and beyond. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. For information on a Celebration of Life and educational fund for her children, email Celebratetherese@yahoo.com.