Teresa Whitehead

Teresa Anne “Terry” Whitehead, age 60, died Wednesday, March 19, 2014 in Durango, Colorado . Services: Private memorial services will be scheduled for family and close personal friends.
Terry was born December 30, 1953 in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of David and Claire Gaffney. She grew up in Woodland Hills, Calif., and attended Louisville High School. She then attended the University of California, Santa Barbara earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, and later the University of California, Irvine earning a Masters of Business Administration.
Timeline Biography: Terry grew up the second child of a nine member family in southern California. In 1980 she married Timothy Whitehead in St. Monica Catholic Church of Santa Monica, Calif. She and Tim then resided in the City of Orange, Calif. and began building a life together.
In the early 1980s, Terry became the mother of two children while working towards her MBA from UC Irvine. In I990, Terry and family relocated to Durango, Co. Terry's primary job was that of mother, homemaker, family finance manager and social coordinator. Soon after arriving in Durango, Terry enrolled at Fort Lewis College to add to her formal education. She completed an Accounting degree in 1995 and went on to become a Certified Public Accountant. She believed in the value of knowledge and education and was an inspiration and motivating force to her children. Terry's husband retired from traditional work in 2006 which allowed opportunity for Terry and Tim to travel together within the Americas and abroad to Europe, Asia and Africa.
Hobbies and Interests: Terry served for two years as a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. She also volunteered time to the La Plata County Humane Society.
Terry's personal interests spanned from her pursuit of education, reading and good cinema; to outdoor activities like snow skiing, hiking, road biking; to visiting interesting destinations around the globe. Terry's main interest lay in cultivating and maintaining strong bonds with family and friends. She enjoyed the personal relationships she built and was a very loving and caring person to all who knew her.
She is survived by her husband Timothy of Durango: children: Sara Whitehead- Hallock - of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Patrick Whitehead of Denver, Colo.; Siblings: Claire Beck of Manhattan, Kansas, Kathy Hagihara of Greeley, Colo., Barbara Babka of Atascadero, Calif., David Gaffney of Salt Lake City, Utah, Hugh Gaffney of Elk Grove, Calif., and Thomas Gaffney of Oakland, Calif.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Contributions instead of flowers to: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Colorado; La Plata County Humane Society.