Cambria, NY - Theresa Marie Giles born February 20, 1929 in Weedsport NY to Charles and Josephine Stowell, died, December 18, 2025.

After attending grade school in a one-room schoolhouse Theresa earned her Nursing degree while working and living in New York City. In 1951 she married her high school sweetheart, Bruce and they moved to the Western NY area. Theresa worked as a night nurse for five years in support of Bruce while he was earning his Doctoral degree at Ohio State University. They returned to Western NY for good in 1958 to make it their permanent home.

Theresa, loving wife and soulmate to Bruce, bore him eight sons. Theresa instilled a solid work ethic in each of her sons leading by both word and deed. A devout Catholic and lover of Christ, Theresa will be forever remembered by those who knew and loved her for her prayerful countenance, devotion to Christ, steadfast adherence to the teachings of the Catholic Church, and faithful observance of its sacraments. Theresa taught her sons to pray, daily.

Theresa, an avid reader of fiction was a great proponent of public lending libraries. Theresa routinely checked out 2 to 3 novels per week from the library. In her later years she commented that she believed she had read every novel from the Lockport Public Library.

Theresa found great fulfillment in volunteering. Red Cross blood drives, literacy outreach to the immigrant community, and grade school literacy programs were all part of her legacy. She touched and improved many lives in the process.

Theresa is preceded in death by her husband Bruce and son Kenneth. She is survived by sons Stephen (Lois), James (Julie), Alan (Kathleen), Theodore, Glenn (Patricia), Martin (Elizabeth), and Raymond (Candy); 18 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated Monday, Dec. 29th at 10 AM at All Saints Parish, 76 Church St., Lockport. Burial will be in Cold Spring Cemetery in Lockport, NY. In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation in her remembrance be made to Catholic Charities. Visit pruddenandkandt.com.