Obituary of Theresa C. McNutt

Theresa Caroline McNutt, passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, June 16, 2018, surrounded by her loving family at the Sawtelle Family Hospice House in Reading. She was 86 years old. Theresa was born in Cambridge and grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts at the height of the Great Depression. Her mother passed when she was 13 years old and her father passed a few years later. She spent the next few years living with her Sister Helen, and her Brother Eddie. As a favor to her girlfriend, she went on a blind date with a young soldier in the US. Army, Donald McNutt. They fell in love and married when he was still in the Army in 1953. They eventually settled in Burlington in 1960, where Theresa finally found a home of her own. Don was knowledgeable, hardworking, and ambitious and quickly rose from mechanic to General Manager of Boston Sand and Gravel. Theresa, managed their home and raised the family, providing the stability needed for Don’s demanding job. Theresa devoted her whole being to her family and friends. She brought her children up to be strong and independent and have a voice of their own. She supported them and loved them each for their unique qualities and traits. And she was equally devoted to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was a self-taught pianist and loved music, especially her Irish music. She was very proud of her Irish heritage and passed that on to her family. She was a woman of faith and found the United Church of Christ a warm and welcoming home to share and deepen her faith. She was a woman of strength and a wonderful role model to her children and grandchildren. Her family learned well from her, and when she and Don could no longer care for themselves her daughter Kate opened her home and moved them in with her. Kate, David and their children managed their care with love and grace. Theresa’s love, kindness, joys, and compassion lives on in the hearts and actions of her family. Theresa was the loving wife of Donald J. McNutt for 63 years. They were totally devoted to each other. She was the loving mother of Amelia McNutt & her companion Rosanne, Kate McNutt & her husband David Ierardi of Dunstable, the late Donald A. McNutt and his wife Sandra McNutt of Lowell. She was predeceased by her siblings; Helen Woods, John, William, James, and Edward Wall. She was the proud and loving grandmother of Tracey Lavelle, Brandon McNutt, Daniel “Dano”, Alec, Michael, and Theresa “Tess” Ierardi and great grandmother of Delaney, Emerson, Charlotte, Rory Donald, and Dylan. Funeral services will be held at the United Church of Christ Congregational, 6 Lexington St., Burlington on Saturday, June 23 at 2 p.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. The interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Theresa’s name may be made to Sharing Foundation, PO Box 600, Concord, MA 01742 or www.sharingfoundation.org. for directions see www.uccburlington.org