Theresa Rush-Northam was a loving and proud mother, free spirited, vulnerable and kind with an infectious laugh and never-ending legs.
Theresa was the second-youngest of eight children, the last girl born to Mary and Tim Rush. A shy tomboy, she was noted for her blond curls, sweet smile and athletic pursuits with big sister Mo, her guardian angel. And just in case she might be forgotten, Theresa kept growing, reaching almost six feet in her early teens.
In high school Theresa was a popular yet humble athlete with a wicked sense of humour. One day, the basketball coach told the girls to bring in the balls. Theresa was at one end of the court and casually drop-kicked her ball, only to see it promptly land in the net at the other end. The team stood in awe while Theresa gave her trademark chuckle and shrugged it off.
In 1988, Theresa married Dave Northam. Theirs was a challenging marriage at times but they had one common bond that never faded - their love for their children, Calvin, Wesley and Ainsley. Theresa and Dave separated but stayed connected and relied on each other.
Theresa was a mom first, driving a school bus and working in a photography studio. Two former colleagues remember her pride when she talked about her kids' antics and hockey games. At the photo studio, her puppet would tell stinky feet stories to get the shy children to smile. Neighbour and lifeline Louise, who treated her like a sister, remembers Theresa giving preschoolers an unofficial ride on the yellow bus so they wouldn't feel left out. When they were old enough to hold a stick, every neighbourhood kid knew Theresa was always up for a game of hockey.
In her final years, Theresa fell in and out of grace in her exhausting efforts to live with and overcome alcohol and manic depression. A week before she died she fell asleep, groggy from her medication, and never woke up. Life support kept her going long enough for her loved ones to shower her with the love and acceptance she always had but could not always see.
Theresa cherished the ending to the poem Footprints in the Sand : "The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand, is when I carried you." Theresa died 13 years less one day after her brother Paul took his life. Theresa and Paul were both born in November and died in March. They each carried painful personal burdens in life and will carry and console one another in death. Theresa's humility, stature, athleticism and compassion live on in her children. She will always be their proud and loving mom.
Mary Lou Archibald is Theresa's sister.