THERESA D. NESTOFF (nee Zachrel) age 93. Beloved wife of the late Michael; mother of Michael Christopher (deceased)(Susan), Susan Sessler (John B.), Joanne Dabb (Randall), David (Monica), Richard, Teresa Winter (Reginald) and Kenneth (Elizabeth Gray); grandmother of 15; great-grandmother of 14; sister of the late John Zacherl, Betty Smolski and Cecelia Pollard; aunt and friend of many.

Theresa grew up in a coal mining camp in Western Pennsylvania and was proud to be a coal miner's daughter. She spoke often and lovingly of her family home on Sandy Hill near Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. She was equally proud to have graduated from Mars High School—and loved watching people react when she said was from Mars—especially the ones who believed her. After graduation, she went to business school in Pittsburgh and worked as a switchboard operator, a secretary, and as a salesperson in a drugstore. Later, she spent many years waitressing at Hellers and Pat Joyce's. Her advice? "Always tip in cash."

Theresa, or Tessie, as she preferred to be called later in life, was a singular person—she had a charm and charisma that drew everyone in, whether she was your wacky grandma giving dating advice based on whatever she had learned "in the back of a school bus" or the lady serving dubious egg salad at bingo in the St. Clarence Parish Hall, coaxing you to eat it anyway, even though it looked weird because she didn't know you couldn't freeze hard-boiled eggs. She also loved to play the organ. She was self-taught and her playing could be entertaining, as long as you were okay with everything—from hymns to popular music—played to either a rhumba or calypso beat.

She met Michael Nestoff on a blind date in Pittsburgh, PA and married him on July 22, 1950, even though as she liked to tell the story, she almost ditched him because he was a reckless driver and she "liked to play the field." Happily, she stuck with him and they spent over 50 joyful years together. At the beginning of their marriage, they lived in Chicago, where their first son was born, until Mike got transferred to Cleveland for his job with American Airlines. They bought a piece of land on Bradley Road in North Olmsted and built their family home from the ground up, living for a while in the garage and then in the dug-out basement. They raised seven kids in that house, which she dubbed the "It'll Do Ranch." Tessie presided over raucous Sunday night family dinners with her grown children and their families, and the Ranch later became a refuge. Moving in with Grandma and Grandpa was an important rite of passage for several of their 15 grandchildren. At large family gatherings, like wedding receptions or reunions, her teenaged grandkids vied for a seat next to Grannie Tessie—another rite of passage was Grannie Tessie slipping you your first rum and coke.

Tessie often had a mischievous glint in her eye and an infectious laugh that easily evolved into a cackle whenever she said something especially witty or biting. She loved arguing and verbal sparring. She disliked authority and one of her lifelong hobbies was fighting the power—whether that meant ignoring city ordinances, driving illegally, or making up fake housemates to report to the census. She did things her way, right to the end. She lived unapologetically. When one of her great-grandsons interviewed her for a school project about ten years ago, he asked: "If you could be 18 again, what in your life would you do over?"

Tessie's response? "Nothing. I've had a good life."

Theresa loved her family, and everyone loved her. She especially loved babies and kids and her eyes lit up in the presence of her many great-grandchildren.

She left this planet on February 8, 2022, slipping away peacefully, surrounded by love. Her big family and many friends will miss her terribly—a world without Tessie is dimmer, duller, and somehow off-kilter.

Passed away February 8, 2022. Friends may call at CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of NORTH OLMSTED, 29150 LORAIN RD. AT STEARNS FRIDAY 4-7 PM.  The family respectfully requests facemasks be worn.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your favorite charity in Theresa's memory.