Keyes, Theresa Dorothy (Lefebvre) Age 96, of Salem, NH, formerly of Newton Lower Falls, passed away
peacefully on October 5, 2024, at home. She was born on January 13, 1928 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the daughter of Donald and Anna Lefebvre.

Theresa died with her wits about her, as feisty, intelligent and articulate as she had ever been. She was eager to be reunited with the great love of her life, her husband Richard ("Dick"), who died in 2016. Three days before her death, she told her children that she wanted to go home from the hospital. They thought she meant Salem, or perhaps Newton Lower Falls, where Theresa lived most of her life, but – of course – she meant Heaven. "Are you sure you are going to get into Heaven?" they asked her. "My score has been written on the wall for a long time," she assured them. Nevertheless, she requested their prayers, and received
an overflowing response, surely adding points to God's tally.

Beyond her roles as extraordinary wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Theresa was, for decades, a mainstay as a registered nurse on "Four North" at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. No television show about doctors and hospitals could compete with her daily accounts of the life of a nurse. Returning home from her evening shift, just before midnight, she would make herself a cup of tea and sit to tell whoever was still awake the beautiful and poignant stories of her patients and their families. In every person she met, she found something to love, whether at work or in her neighborhood; young and old were touched by her generosity and love. Even dogs fell in love with her.

In addition to people, she loved the world. She followed the news in all of its clamor, sorted it out, made sense of it, and took stances rooted in deeply communal, ethical and moral views of life. She shared her wisdom with friends and family. In her solitary moments, her great love was always reading, both fiction and nonfiction. For a long stretch of her life, she read nearly a book a day, taking breaks to complete crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. At 96, though old and frail in body, she was keen and curious in her spirit and mind. At heart, she was still the girl who was the fastest runner in her first-grade class.

Theresa is survived by her four children: Thomas and his wife, Gael, of Tijeras, NM; William and his wife, Nancy, of Wareham, MA; Margaret "Peg" Gioia and her husband, Steve, of Salem, NH; and Richard and his wife, Kathleen, of Bridgewater, MA. Theresa was the joyful grandmother to 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday October 10, in St John the Evangelist Church, 9 Glen Rd., Wellesley followed by interment in Newton Cemetery. Visitation will be held immediately prior to the Mass from 10-11AM in the church.

Memorial donations may be made to the NWH Fund, (giving.nwh.org)