Obituary of Theresa Phyllis Gurney

Theresa Phyllis Gurney, who centered her life uniting family, passed away peacefully on Wednesday night, June 26, 2024, surrounded by her nieces and nephews.  She was 95 years old.  

Theresa was born in Boston Mass, on November 22nd, 1928.  She was one of seven children, but the only daughter born to John and Mary Giangrande.  She grew up in East Boston in a home steeped in Italian traditions and family values. 

While growing up during the Great Depression, she left school in the Sixth grade to help manage the cooking and house chores while her parents worked to feed the family of nine.  Her mother passed at a young age and Theresa became the family matriarch. She married David Gurney,and settled in Burlington Mass. in 1972.   

 Theresa was the glue of the family.  Friday nights were family dinners and card games with her brothers and their spouses.  She hosted many holidays and spent days in her kitchen preparing everyone’s favorite dishes.  

She wasn’t blessed with children of her own, but she was a ‘second mother’ to all her nieces and nephews.  She took part in all of their celebrations and expressed her love in her cooking, hospitality, and kindness that she shared.  

Theresa could never sit idle.  “Let’s go out!”was her most common phrase and she worked throughout her life up until the age of 80.  Theresa worked at various jobs, from collating paper to being a circuit board technician for Computervision.  Never wanting to sit still, she worked part time into her 80's another decade, at St. Eulalia Church rectory as the housekeeper and cook, delivering her incredible authentic Italian dishes to the priests. When the priests went on to other parishes, it was hard to know what they missed more, the parishioners or Theresa’s cooking.

 She always stayed active: swimming at the YMCA, walking the Burlington Mall in the Winter and Horn Pond in the summer.  She was also a regular at the Dunkin Donuts on Winn Street where she met with her Burlington friends.

  Sadly, her husband and all six of her brothers have passed.  But she was never alone. Her nieces and nephews lovingly watched over her, keeping her safe, supporting her, and loving her.  

Theresa was the beloved wife of over fifty years of the late David Gurney.  Loving sister of the late Anthony, Alfred, Amando, Gino, Thomas, and Johnny Giangrande.  She is also the loving aunt of Phil Giangrande & his wife Linda of MI, Paul Giangrande & his wife Karen of Billerica, Lisa McCabe & her husband John of Woburn, Donna Andrews & her husband Mark of Chelmsford, Marie Giangrande of Woburn, Patrice Manchester & her husband William of North Reading, Thomas Giangrande, Jr & his companion Ellen Arseneault of Reading, Cara Baker & her husband Joseph of Chelmsford and the late Edward Giangrande & his surviving wife Diane of Florida.  

Theresa is also survived by many great nieces and nephews.  

Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington on Monday, July 8 from 5-7 p.m. Funeral from the Sullivan Funeral Home on Tuesday, July 9 at 9:30 a.m. followed by a 11:00 a.m. Mass at St. Eulalia Church, www.sainteulalia.org, 50 Ridge St., Winchester.   Services will conclude with a burial at Wildwood Cemetery in Winchester.