Theresa Elizabeth Coursey didn’t get to see 2011. She finally lost her years-long battle with cancer on New Year’s Eve, after spending Christmas Day in the hospital, missing her 55th birthday by just a couple of weeks.
Her husband, Chris, an old friend, college roommate and colleague, brought her home to live out the remainder of her life surrounded by family. But she was not without friends in the hospital. A veteran nurse, Theresa was treated “like a rock star — the mentor around whom no one wants to make a mistake,” he said.
We all kept hoping that cancer would make a mistake, but mostly it doesn’t. Theresa was already a two-time breast-cancer survivor in 2008, when she rode The Breakaway Mile Ride in Santa Rosa as the Amgen Tour of California came to town.
But the disease sought out other targets of opportunity — first a lung, then her brain, and finally it held dominion everywhere. Though she battled it through round after round, enduring surgeries, radiation and chemo’, she was fighting outside her weight class, as are we all. That bell finally rings.
We wish peace and rest to Theresa, and continued courage and strength to Chris and their children, Diana, Andrew, Colleen and Alex.
• Late update: Theresa’s obit in The Press Democrat, her hometown paper.
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An eloquent tribute, Patrick. My deepest sympathies.
Well said, O’G. Our deepest sympathies as well.
So sad to hear that — “Death don’t have no mercy, in this land.”
Hey Patrick, just saw this. Thanks.
So sad to learn of Theresa’s death. I was very friendly with her in the early 80’s. I moved to Florida and unfortunately lost touch with Theresa after a while. I have memories of great times with her, and can hear that laugh of hers like it was yesterday. A huge loss to anyone who knew her.