Teresa "Teri" Litt's Obituary
Teresa “Teri” Litt
Also known and loved as Teri Nelson, Mrs. Gunsauls, Mom, Aunt Teri, Grandma Teri, and Mrs. Litt.
Teri was born August 14, 1957 and passed away August 30, 2019 after a valiant fight against brain cancer. She lived her very full life in Lakewood, Tacoma, and Steilacoom.
Teri graduated from Lakes High School in 1974 and earned both her bachelors (1989) and masters (1998) degrees from PLU. She was an elementary teacher and librarian in Puyallup for 15 years and was the teacher librarian at Steilacoom High School for the last 14 years. She has inspired thousands of students by finding ways to connect with them individually and learning how to help each one learn. She also assisted fellow teachers through mentoring and building connections throughout the state and beyond.
Teri served on the Boards of the Steilacoom Historical Education Foundation and the Steilacoom Friends of the Library, continuously working to help the children of Steilacoom connect with resources to help them find success. She also enjoyed gardening, kayaking, and always had at least a dozen projects in progress while also attending countless events and performances supporting her grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Teri was preceded in death by her parents, Len and Suzie Nelson. She is survived by her brothers Kurt Nelson (Teri) of Auburn and Drew Nelson (Marilyn) of Winter Park, Florida. She is also survived by daughter Cortney Wright (Brian) of Olympia and son Garrett Gunsauls (Yauna) of Tacoma. Six grandchildren will miss her immensely: Lacey, Maren, Aeden, & Kieran Wright and Ethan & Kaiya Gunsauls. She will also be missed by her nieces, nephews, and stepdaughters as well as her many friends near and far.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Mountain View Funeral Home on Saturday, September 14, at 1:00 PM with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Library Association’s 21st Century Fund at https://ec.ala.org/donate/projects or to the Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment of Swedish Hospital at https://community.swedish.org/donate.
Please honor the life and memory of Teri by leaving cherished memories, messages, and photos for her family on the guestbook page.
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