Therese Marie Weiss

Therese Marie Weiss, 72, of Rockford, IL, peacefully left the earthly domain on September 10, 2025, at Neighbors in Byron, IL. She entered the world on October 6, 1952, in Portland, Indiana. She grew up in the farmlands of Iowa, weeding fields, and would later move to southern Indiana for high school. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and obtained her Master's from Northern Illinois University. After graduating, she volunteered as a medical missionary in Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico, for a couple of years. She also spent time in Georgia, Connecticut, and East St. Louis before settling in the Rockford area, where she succeeded at nursing for many decades. One of the ways she found peace was through church and prayer. She went to St. Mary's Oratory in Rockford and would be involved in the groups there. Her favorite saints were St. Therese, her namesake, and St. Pio, and she often quoted St. Pio's "Pray, hope, and don't worry". She was remembered for her kindness and giving nature. She became a Jackie of all trades. She could rewire a lamp, refurbish thrown-out furniture to keep or resell, sew up a dress, cut a tree down, repair a zipper, or replace a power outlet thanks to advice from Bob Vila. What sparked joy for her was sewing, reading, traveling, and cuddling with her cats. Some of her favorite trips were beach hopping with endless meals of scallops, clam bellies, and chowder in Cape Cod, road tripping west to explore Washington's and Oregon's coastline, and driving Route 1 in the Florida Keys while key lime pie tasting on the journey. She was a nature whisperer. Birds, whales, and other wildlife would always come out for her on these trips. She had diverse tastes in music from Motown, reggae, Whitney Houston, 80s pop, or traditional Irish songs. She enjoyed comedy, especially Jim Gaffigan and Sebastian Maniscalco. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday with a watching of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, a home-cooked feast, and relaxation. Therese is survived by her daughter, Melissa Weiss, and cats Pito and Kona Coffee Cat. Therese was preceded in death by her cats, Sammy, Fluffy, Sassy, Whiskers, Coquette, Bobby, Whitney, Sandy, Chedder, and Miso. Special thanks to the team at Generations at Neighbors in Byron, Serenity Hospice, caregivers Amanda, Jen, Maria, and Dr. Kalweit for assisting with Therese's care during her time in hospice. I leave you with the lyrics of one of her favorite songs, The Parting Glass: Of all the money that e'er I had I have spent it in good company Oh and all the harm I've ever done Alas, it was to none but me And all I've done for want of wit To memory now I can't recall So fill to me the parting glass Good night and joy be to you all To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Therese Marie Weiss, please visit our floral store.