Teresa was loved and will continue to be loved for her strength, compassion, creativity, and commitment to making everyone she could feel welcome and included.
She married Lawrence McMullen in a dress and hat she sewed herself in 1980, and since then they set an example as the kinds of partners, parents, and friends everyone wants to be. Many will remember feeling welcome and well-fed at “Larry & Teri’s,” whether it was a legendary, loud summer pig roast of over 100 guests, a warm, sweet Christmas gathering, or impromptu drinks and laughs and more drinks in the backyard. Wherever they called home -- which included Central Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, Southern Ohio, and eventually Pittsburgh -- Teresa and Larry never stopped making new friends and always left an impression on their community.
She put care and creativity into being a mom. Days were made a little more magical from scavenger hunts, a costume idea, a quick but elaborate picnic, or a handful of comics from the flea market. She had a half dozen weird accents and voices to expertly deploy to get a chuckle out of her kids. But she also believed in never talking down to or lying them, nor letting them win board games, ever. Teresa was also a welcoming parent. Friends knew the McMullens’ was a fun, safe place to hang out on the weekends, and that likely there would be cookies.
Teresa impacted the lives of hundreds of people with developmental disabilities through her career of over 30 years, serving in many roles including Executive Director of Orion, Inc. in Wilmington, Ohio and Program Administrator at Champaign Residential Services, Inc. in Urbana, Ohio. She was a fierce, relentless advocate for people with disabilities, ensuring the needs and ambitions of anyone, no matter their physical or mental limitations, were heard, respected, and effectively addressed. Through her dedication to inclusion, people who no one thought could ever work found a job they were proud of, and people who were never expected to leave their house enjoyed their first parties, road trips, and friendships.
In addition to a treasured partner and friend, accomplished mother and grandmother, and leader in her field, Teresa was a talented creator with an entrepreneurial drive. Through the years she flipped antiques out of a rusty hatchback, sold beautiful homemade Christmas wreaths out of her garage, and volunteered to design and create hundreds of costumes for theater productions at Springboro High School where her children attended. Most recently, she went into business as “Cookie Mama,” making her famous cookies for weddings and parties in the Pittsburgh area.
Teresa Marusiak McMullen died on May 22 of cancer. She was 61.