Theresa "Terry" Marie Gerber

Theresa “Terry” Marie Gerber was born on April 27, 1953 to Margaret and Robert Coleman in Bertha, Minnesota. She grew up on her parents’ farm as the third youngest of seven siblings. She enjoyed playing the guitar and exposing her love of God through music. Passionate about teaching children, she graduated from the University of Minnesota-Morris with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She met her future husband Dan through a mutual friend in Staples, Minnesota. They became engaged while Terry was teaching in South Carolina and Dan was was in Mennonite Voluntary Service in Chicago. Terry was baptized in Chicago's Grace Community Church because she felt the presence of a caring God who supported her throughout her life. Five days later, on September 17, 1978, she and Dan married in Staples before returning to Chicago together. They would later move to Minneapolis to be near family. Around 1975 Terry began noticing numbness and tingling on the left side of her body. Over time, other symptoms appeared and she was eventually diagnosed with cavernous hemangioma, a genetic condition. Despite increasing paralysis, she remained cheerful and optimistic, and in 1987 gave birth to her beloved daughter Ruth. Though she and Dan were concerned, Terry quickly adapted to “single-handedly” caring for Ruth. Terry loved puns. In later years, she moved frequently between her home with Dan, assisted living, nursing homes, and hospitals. She never lost hope that she would regain the ability to walk. She yearned to live at home and worked courageously to be as independent as possible. Her gadgets and gizmos, many made at Courage Center in Golden Valley, allowed her to continue knitting and playing the autoharp. She spent the last two years of her life at Augustana Care Center in Minneapolis. Terry passed peacefully following a stroke on December 22, 2015 at Augustana. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Daniel “Dan” Gerber; her daughter Ruth Gerber; her siblings Maureen, Robert “Bob”, Michael “Mike”, John, Cecille “CeCe”, and Timothy “Tim”; her sisters-in-law Rebecca “Becky” and Joanna; and her many nieces and nephews. Services will be held at Faith Mennonite Church, 2720 E 22nd Street in Minneapolis, on Sunday, December 27th at 3:00 PM. there will be a time for visiting beginning at 1:00 PM that day at the same location. Donations may be made to Augustana Care Center, whom the family wholeheartedly appreciates for their care of Terry.

Tributes

Theresa "Terry" Marie Gerber

December 22, 2015

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