Teresita Bitanga Donahue

Teresita Donahue died peacefully in April 2024 in the company of her devoted husband Patrick.  She was 86.

 A proud daughter of Guam—an American island in the western Pacific—Teresita survived the unspeakable Japanese occupation of her island during WWII, along with her brother Jose (“Ping”), sister Guadalupe (“Daling”), and mother Maria (“Mariquita”).  Unfortunately, her father (Inocencio) did not.  Her mother later remarried and gave birth to another sister Lourdes (“Ding”). 

 In the wake of the war, Teresita developed into an exemplary scholar and followed the advice of an inspiring teacher who had studied at Mankato State College (now Minnesota State University at Mankato).  In 1957, she packed a single suitcase and headed to Mankato State for the fall quarter.  There she met Patrick Donahue—the man who would become her husband in 1959. 

 She accompanied her husband to Monterey when he was assigned to the Army Language School (now the Defense Language Institute).  She then joined him on his duty assignment in Taiwan, bringing infant son Thomas with her.  In Taiwan, she would give birth to Michael.

 Already impressively skilled in the culinary arts, she used her time in Taiwan to expand and extend those skills.  In particular, she created her famous stuffed steamed buns (baozi) and spring rolls.  She experimented with her rectangular pizza and breakfast fried rice that would come to be among her most beloved culinary gifts.  No one who knows Teresita could ever separate her name from memories of excellent food.

 She and her husband—and their growing family—moved back to the Midwest, where she gave birth to Timothy (Minnesota), Sean (Wisconsin), and Patrick Jr. (Illinois). 

 A mother of five sons, she proved to be an excellent parent, spouse, and household manager.  Once the youngest son started school, she put her business training to work in improving the family income by working at an engineering company in Denver.

 She climbed the ladder to become the director of human resources at the engineering firm and later applied those skills when the family formed a high-tech startup based on her eldest son’s ideas.  Through it all, she started and maintained a home business baking and decorating custom cakes.  While she enjoyed hearing about the beauty of her creations, she was even more proud to hear that her cakes were the most delicious cakes her clients had ever tasted.  No one who knows Teresita would expect anything less.

 In her well-earned retirement, she enjoyed piloting the RV on trips with her husband.  Her RV friends and acquaintances formed a far-flung community that also loved and supported her.

 In a house full of boys, she often lamented that there were no girls.  But through marriage, she received the gift of daughters-in-law, whom she cherished as the daughters she never had and the mothers of her grandchildren.  Through good times and bad, through sickness and health, and even in turmoil, she trusted and relied on them.

 She was preceded in death by her father, mother, and big brother.

 She is survived by her husband, her two sisters (and their families), her five sons (and their families), eight grandchildren, six great-grandchildren (and two more on the way), and her 35-year-old parrot.

 Throughout her life—and even still—her husband never missed an opportunity to describe the first time he saw her, saying “she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen!”

 She is sorely missed by those who loved her.

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 To celebrate her life and mourn her death, the family has arranged a Funeral Mass and a reception, and an interment ceremony on Thursday, April 25th.  Details are below. Guests should feel comfortable to attend any or all events. 

 Gifts in her memory can be made to charities she supported.

 Heifer International strives to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth by providing appropriate livestock and training to small-scale farmers and communities worldwide.

https://fundraise.heifer.org/fundraiser/5465646

 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières provides urgently needed humanitarian aid in moments of crisis and conflict in over 70 countries around the world.

https://events.doctorswithoutborders.org/campaign/Teresita