Theresa Lena (Angello) Farina

Theresa Farina, age 98, died on October 11th. Born in New Jersey, she came to Washington, DC during World War II, serving in the Pentagon. Later, living in Silver Spring, she was employed in statistics at the Maryland National Capitol Park and Planning Commission. She is survived by her two children, Conrad (Patricia Reese) Farina, and Karen (Joel) Kehm; three grandchildren, Jennifer (Jeff) Pratt, Danielle (Duncan) Kehm, and David Kehm. She is also survived by two great-grandchildren, Tatum Pratt and Tobin Pratt; and two sisters, Marie Warner, and Dolores Anderson.

1) Food and family were her #1 priorities.  Most Sundays and holidays revolved around visiting relatives and eating food!  Mom was one of 9 children.  She was #4 and many of her siblings swear she was the favorite because their mother referred to her as "my Theresa."
Perhaps that was because with all the chores that had to be done, Theresa never complained.  She just pitched in and got the job finished.
2)Mom was a great cook.  Her meatballs and spaghetti sauce were amazing.  Her fried chicken was better than Colonel Sanders'!  She took cake decorating at one point and as a result, was often called upon to bake a cake for a family occasion.  She also shared her baking skills by making cakes and donating them to St. Michael's Catholic Church where she was a devoted parishioner for over 50 years.
3) Mom was a faithful church goer; often attending daily.  When she was no longer able to attend services, she enjoyed receiving communion in her home and watching Mass on the Riderwood television station.
4) Mom moved to Riderwood 9 years ago when she was 89.  She made the decision on her own and also chose to give up driving at that time.  In her time at Riderwood, she made many friends and enjoyed interacting with them.  Until about a month ago, she worked out in the Riderwood gym about 3 times a week! Move over Jane Fonda!
5) Mom was often heard saying, "TV is my friend."  Some of her favorite shows included Dancing with the Stars, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy.
6)Mom loved jewelry and clothes.  She rarely left the house without a necklace, earrings and pearls--not even when going to the gym! When shopping at the mall or store became too difficult, she became an armchair shopper.  It's a good thing she didn't have a computer and an Amazon Prime account!  Nothing delighted her more than receiving a new nightgown, sweater, or vest in the mail. She took great pride in her appearance.
7) Mom enjoyed reading People magazine weekly and the daily newspaper.  This enabled her to keep up with world and local news as well as celebrity happenings.  If you wanted to know what was happening in Hollywood, Mom could have told you! she also loved Danielle Steel novels.
8) When daughter Karen announced that she was thinking of moving to Colorado, Mom heartily applauded the idea recognizing that the opportunity to live near grandchildren was something she would never regret.  They kept up daily through phone calls and there was never a call that did not include what Mom had eaten at previous meals!
9)  Mom was a cancer survivor and she lived many years with diabetes and congestive heart failure, but she rarely complained and was careful to count her blessings.
10)  Although Mom lost her hearing, she never lost her sense of humor or her memory.  She knew where EVERYTHING was in her apartment and she humored Karen and Conrad when then asked her about who was her favorite child?!?!?!