Terese Pagliarulo

Terese Shannon Pagliarulo, 65, joined her parents in heaven on September 17, 2018. She died in Santa Fe, New Mexico after a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.
The second daughter of Judge John Shannon and Christine Rudzinski Shannon, Terese was born in Chicago on January 17, 1953. The family relocated to Port Charlotte, Florida in 1960. Her favorite childhood pastimes included playing with her treasured Tiny Tears doll, riding her bike, watching the Lawrence Welk Show, participating in Girl Scouts, and spending time with her Irish grandfather. She dreamt of becoming a dancer, but multiple knee surgeries from a young age prevented her from pursuing this. While she was blessed with beauty, Terese was much more comfortable in the role of class clown than prom queen (which she won, but was also “awarded” a giant razor by her peers, since she proudly refused to shave her legs).
At Florida State University, she studied criminology and theology before leaving to protest the Vietnam War. Ever the flower child, some of Terese’s favorite memories happened in the 70’s, including concerts she attended (Watkins Glen, Janis Joplin, and Deep Purple, to name a few), working as a ceramicist, making homemade candles, owning black footed ferrets before they were trendy, and maintaining a wall of fish tanks to watch in lieu of a television set. Her greatest professional joy, however, came from working at a small school in Winter Garden, Florida for students with disabilities. She made history by taking the class to Sea World at a time when these students were not considered fit to take field trips at all. Terese later followed in her father’s footsteps by becoming a Charlotte County Sheriff’s Deputy, before double knee replacements left her disabled herself. She achieved her dream of retiring to beautiful Santa Fe with her husband in 2003.
Terese said that her proudest accomplishment, however, was becoming a mother. Her daughters had the unique privilege of being raised by an animal-loving, free-spirited, gypsy whose life motto seemed to come directly from one of her favorite movies, Mermaids: “Death is dwelling on the past or staying in one place too long.”
Terese was preceded in death by her husband of 15 years, Charles Pagliarulo, and is survived by her three daughters, Erin Lopez Trask (Rene Lopez), Suzanne Shannon, and RaChel Bell Guild (Daniel Guild). Terese also leaves behind her five grandchildren, Carlito Trask, Layla Miller, Jenika Freeman, Sarah Trask, Angelo Guild, and her two sisters, Barbara Penza (Richard Penza) and Catherine Green.
Terese’s ashes will be scattered with her husband’s, near the Pecos River in New Mexico. If she gets her way, she’ll reincarnate as a hummingbird, or perhaps a cowgirl who marries a Jim Morrison look-alike.

The Family of Terese Marie Pagliarulo has entrusted the care of their beloved one to Avista Cremation & Burial.