Teresa M. ‘Terry’ Cole 1959-2023

She was born June 2, 1959, in Ashtabula, the eldest of the second half of William and Carol Ann Heidrich’s passel of eight children.

She was a 1977 graduate of St. John High School in Ashtabula, where she competed on the Academic Challenge team, was a member of the National Honor Society, and played bassoon in the concert band. Anyone who knows her, knows she called for the attention of everyone in the room whenever a bassoon was featured in any piece of music — be it a concert, in a movie, on television, radio or CD.

Terry received her paralegal certificate from the American Institute for Paralegal Studies in 1986 at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1997 from Kenyon College as a National Merit Scholarship recipient.

A career paralegal, more recently, Terry provided in-home care professionally and out of the goodness of her heart for family members in need. Active in local civics, she volunteered at the polls for years and served as precinct location manager for Nelson Township 1A.

Terry was fluent in thrift shops, salvage stores and yard sales. She took great pleasure in researching anything and everything on Google and was the world’s foremost practitioner of “Terry Time.” This, as most of you know, is a fluid and imprecise method of timekeeping in which hours are rounded to oneish o’clock, twoish o’clock, and so on — and not necessarily rounded to the nearest hour, either.

Coffee and ice cream were two of Terry’s favorite delicacies and she never met a cat that she didn’t like. She conducted “Mean Aunt Terry Camp” for years, where she’d “torture” her nieces and nephews with her famous, gotta-have-them cookie bars, bonfires with marshmallows, stories, prayer and other such “horrors.” Known as a walking Bible concordance, she washed dishes by hand at almost every home she visited, usually singing hymns while she worked.

Terry attended West Mecca Bible Methodist Church, where she served as the ministry coordinator and assisted wherever she could, including laundering dishcloths and towels from the fellowship hall each week.

She will be deeply missed by her husband, Burton W. Cole, who was blessed to share nearly 15 years of marriage; son, Jeremy Heidrich of Lewis Center; bonus daughter, Melissa Cole of Mantua; grandson, Sebastian Cole of Mantua; sisters, Kathy Koch of Huntsburg, Fran Butcher of Cleveland Heights, Mary Ann (David) Fox of Gainesville, Fla., Christine Riley of Virginia Beach, Va. and Patricia Washington of Euclid; sisters-in-law, Debra Heidrich of Okemos, Mich. and Dr. Cecilia Duffy of Geneva; as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.

Terry was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, William and John Heidrich; and her nephew, Darrel Fox.

Please join the family for a visitation 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at Mallory-DeHaven-Carlson Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 8382 Center St., Garrettsville, OH 44231. Another visitation will be held 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at West Mecca Bible Methodist Church, 1215 Greenville Road NE, Cortland, OH 44410. A funeral service will begin at the church at 11 a.m. Wednesday, with the Rev. Patrick Dewhurst officiating. Terry will then be lovingly laid to rest in Harrington Cemetery in Nelson Township.

Donations will be graciously accepted by the West Mecca Bible Methodist Church, 1215 Greenville Road NE, Cortland, OH 44410, in Terry’s name, to honor her love of God and her church.

For online condolences, go to www.carlsonfuneralhomes.com.

(special notice)