Teresa Elaine (Webb) Terpening of Abilene was born to Dee L. and Phyllis
(Pauley) Webb on August 8, 1949, in Hays, Kansas as the oldest of 6
children. She died August 2, 2021, at KU Medical Center following a long
and courageous battle with cancer. She married Harold Terpening on
November 26, 1971, in Woodston, Kansas.
She attended the Pleasant Valley School, District 11, in rural Osborne
County through 4th grade. She continued school in Woodston from 5th
Grade through high school and graduated in 1967. Following graduation,
she attended and graduated from Kansas State Teachers College, now
Emporia State University, and graduated in three and a half years with a
degree in elementary education. She served many years as a classroom
teacher, a reading specialist for elementary students, and the sponsor
of student activities. She taught in the public schools as a first
grade and special reading/math teacher in Axtell, Palco, Morland,
Lenora, Abilene, Mankato, and Solomon, Kansas and was very active in the
activities in those schools. One of her favorite things in all of the
schools was her time spent as a cheerleading sponsor.
Through her professional and personal life Teresa was an active member
of Beta Sigma Phi for 20 years, PEO Chapter JQ since 1991, KS State
Reading Council, State Reading Analyst, and served in a variety of
positions at their churches throughout the years including in the Youth
Department, a member of and Director of the Choir, Church
Secretary/Treasurer, and currently on the board of the Missions
Ministry.
Teresa’s favorite charities and causes include her church, Leukemia and
Lymphoma research, the Cancer Society and the American Heart
Association.
She felt that the most important things in her life were her family and
her teaching career. To her family she leaves this advice “Smile, be
kind, and love each other. When all is said and done, you have each
other.” If asked, she would share that her most significant desire is
that her granddaughters are productive, loving, God fearing young
ladies, and her students being successful in their endeavors. She will
be remembered by all as kind and giving of herself.
Teresa was preceded in death by her infant daughter Carol Ann; her
parents; her in-laws Dean and Eileen Cox; her grandparents; her only
aunt and uncle, Everett and Eda Jean Hildreth and their daughter
Raenetta Billings.
She is survived and will be deeply missed by her husband, Harold; son
Jonathan Terpening (Sandy) and his daughters Brianna and Tia; daughter
Kristy Druse (Kelly Miller), her daughters Konlynn and Bethany; sisters;
Deborah (Kevin) Abbott; Rhonda (Gary) Renfro; Sonja (Malcolm) Penney;
Monica (Bruce) Payeur; brother Dirk Webb; step-sister in-law Joyce
(George) Shutts; step-brother in-law David (Faye) Cox; and many nieces
and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Missions group at the
First Christian Church of Abilene or the KU Medical Center BMT Unit,
Kansas City in care of the Martin-Becker-Carlson Funeral Home, 414 NW
3rd St, Abilene, KS 67410. The service will be held at the First
Christian Church of Abilene at 10:30 am, Monday, August 9, 2021