Theresa Milio

Theresa Milio

Born November 27, 1921

At Rest  April 28, 2023

Theresa Telleri Milio, age 101 years and 5 months, a much beloved Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, Aunt, friend and family matriarch passed peacefully on Friday, April 28, 2023.  Theresa was born to Philip Telleri and Maria Teresa Mastroianni on November 27,1921 in Montreal, Canada.  Theresa’s mother died shortly after she was born.  Her father remarried several years later and the family moved to Brooklyn, New York where the seven Telleri children were raised.  Theresa deeply loved her brothers and sisters and they spent much time together throughout their lives. Theresa is predeceased by all of them.

Theresa was an adventurous girl who loved riding a bike, playing basketball and often referred to her younger self as a tomboy. Theresa’s best friends growing up were Charlotte and Rosalie and they were known as the “Three Musketeers.” Upon graduating from high school with a business diploma, Theresa’s  first job was in a factory, inspecting, folding and boxing men’s shirts.

Theresa met her sweetheart, Joseph Anthony Milio, and they married in 1943.  They were blessed with their first child, Raphael Joseph, a year later on Christmas Eve.  Three children followed Raphael’s birth to further fill the Milio house with joy and laughter:  Philip Joseph, Geraldine and Marie Therese.  Joe and Theresa bought their first house in South Ozone Park, Queens, New York, where they lived for 29 years. Joe worked hard to support his young family and eventually Theresa took a home correspondence course, studying to be a dental assistant, and she worked in the office of their family dentist for many years.  The family was very active in the local Cub Pack/Boy Scout Troop 369.  Theresa as a Den Mother and Joe as a Leader while their sons were active as Scouts. The children attended St Anthony of Padua Elementary School where Joe and Theresa were always active parishioners.

In 1973, Joe and Theresa moved to Cape Coral, Florida, where they enjoyed many happy years filled with volunteering at St. Andrew’s Church, Cape Coral Hospital and the local Senior Center.  St. Andrew’s Church played a significant role in their lives with Theresa singing in the Adult Choir and Joe an usher at the 10:30am Sunday Mass. They made many dear friends and were deeply rooted in the community.  Theresa studied to be a nurse’s aide and worked in that capacity and later worked as a unit secretary at Lee Memorial Hospital. Theresa was also a nanny to a friend’s granddaughter, Ashleigh, and enjoyed their time together immensely.

Joe died unexpectedly in 1987 and Theresa grieved for him for a long time until she finally, slowly, started to enjoy life again.  During this time she became good friends with a member of the Cape Coral German American Social Club and enjoyed years of dancing and participating in events at the Club. 

Theresa was devoted to her family, which kept growing through the years.  She was the proud grandmother to five devoted and loving grandchildren and the great grandmother of 13 equally devoted great grandchildren, the youngest of whom is 100 years younger than Theresa. 

In 2000, Theresa decided it was time to move closer to family, and with great sadness, moved to an Independent Living Community in Boca Raton, Florida, in Palm Beach County.  While she missed singing in the St Andrew’s choir and her many friends, she quickly made new friends and started volunteering at St. Jude Catholic Church’s religious education program and as a Foster Grandparent at Verde Elementary School.  She was very active in her residential community and served on the Residents’ Council as an officer in several positions and an all-around volunteer at everything from holiday decorating to bingo games.  About 4 years ago, she moved to the elegant Harbor Chase Assisted Living Community in Wellington, Florida, where she made friends with every resident and staff member and was very involved in their Enrichment Programs, particularly in the areas of visual art, crafts and jewelry making and intensive Rummikub playing.  The staff at Harbor Chase provided assistance to Theresa.  Everyone on staff loved her and especially enjoyed her calling them “Honey Bun” and the tender respect they showed her when they called her “Mother Theresa”. 

Theresa loved new experiences and did some travelling – to Europe and Israel and enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience of the walk/run in a Women’s Mini-Marathon 10K in Central Park, New York City at the age of 79.

One of Theresa’s favorite sayings - and she had many - was that “if you cannot say something nice about someone, then do not say anything at all.”

Theresa’s deep faith was a driving force in her life.  She prayed every day and was always thankful for the grace of God for herself and especially for her family.  She prayed for everyone and her family joked that she had a direct line to the Lord because she was also notorious for “storming heaven with prayers” in time of need. She was a loyal follower of Mother Angelica and watching Mass on EWTN.

Theresa loved well and was loved well each and every day, during her 101 years of life. She commented frequently that she was never alone because she had her family with her on her digital picture frame.  She was a friend to everyone she met and loved introducing them to her family, even if only through pictures.

Theresa will be celebrated on Thursday, June 15th, at a Funeral Mass at St Andrew’s Church, 10:30 am, in Cape Coral, FL, followed by graveside prayer at Coral Ridge Cemetery, Cape Coral. After 36 years, Theresa and Joe are together again.

In lieu of flowers, Theresa left wishes that family and friends contribute  to Catholic Charities, https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org  or Catholic Charities USA, 2050 Ballenger Ave, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314. 703-549-1390     info@catholicchartiesusa.org   Catholic Charities helped Theresa’s family on several occasions when she was growing up and again when she was having her third and fourth babies.  She felt a deep loyalty to this organization.

Theresa’s family thanks everyone for all the expressions of love, kindness, and prayers offered to them during this time.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.