Theresa K. Deel

Theresa Kilmurray Deel, known to almost everyone, family and friends alike, as Nome, was the successful matriarch of a family steeped in love and tradition. She was born in 1933 to her parents Catharine and Martin and sister Kay Kilmurray. She and her husband Killow “Jerry” were married for 69 years when he passed away in 2019. Their marriage produced five loving children: twin boys, Glen (d. 2011) and Gary (d. 2022) and three girls, Carol, Diane and Catharine.  Always a hard worker, Theresa ran her own ceramic shop for many years, first in a standalone building and later moving to the basement of their welcoming home.  

The Deel family grew. Their five children added seven amazing grandchildren to their numbers: Athena, Elisha, Joey, Aaron, Brittany, Bryce and Bethany.  Each of them is fortunate to have memories of spur of the moment trips (including fabulous road-side picnics) to just about anywhere - Maine for a quick shopping trip to LL Bean, Pennsylvania to find comic books, New York City for dinner, or a six-week cross country trip to visit Athena and Glen to name but a few. These trips were just one of the ways that Nome always made time for her family. She was also fortunate to have and love nine great-grandchildren: Evan, Davis, Eden, Ethan, Alyssa, Nathan, Quinn, Owen and Eli; a 10th will be born in September. She touched each of them in a special way. Those lucky enough to have married into this amazing family, Joe, Chris, Dianne, Linda, Ken, Todd, Naomi, Christina, Matt, Keith and Ashley were loved and cared for just as much as her own flesh and blood. It’s a testament to this love and hospitality that her sons’ ex-wives continued to be invited to and feel welcome at family events.

And that was it-Nome loved hard. She would do anything, anytime, anywhere for any member of her family. She was incredibly generous and giving. She did her level best to hide her huge heart, but anyone who met her knew it was there. Whether it be Sunday dinner, holiday gatherings, her epic 4th of July parties or just a random Tuesday, anyone and everyone was always welcome. She never knew a stranger. Unexpected guests for dinner? Her response would always be, “Sure! We’ll just slice the meat a little thinner and throw another potato in the pot!” 

Nome passed away exactly a year to the date after losing her son Gary to his fight with cancer.  We think she’s likely in heaven making her unmatched fried chicken and legendary apple butter for him, Glen and Jerry.

Her passing leaves a void in the hearts of all who knew her- most especially the family she so ably led for 73 years. She leaves a legacy in her family, a family who continues to gather monthly to celebrate birthdays, a family fiercely loyal to one another because of the example she set. She will continue to live in the love you see in each of them.

Should friends desire, remembrances may be sent to It Is Well International, Inc.