Theresa Jean Turley was born August 20, 1942 to Merrill C. and Margaret M. Turley at the McClain Clinic in Scottsburg, Indiana.

MSgt. Theresa Turley died November 16, 2022 at Hampton Oaks in Scottsburg, Indiana.

Our parents endowed all 5 of us with college degrees, 4 graduated Purdue.

Theresa did not. After graduating Scottsburg High School in 1960 she attended Butler University, Indiana University and finally to her mother's great relief, graduated from the University of Illinois in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. Throughout her undergraduate study she traveled with the attending university bands to the British Isles/Europe and Central/South America. Also, during this time, she was inducted into many music honoraries. I have a picture of Theresa in concert dress ready to play, wearing pink rabbit ears to indicate that she had just been inducted into one of those societies. Cute.

With an assistantship from a Kansas group, she completed in 1967 her Master's in Bassoon at Kansas State Teacher's College in Emporia, Kansas. She was hired by the faculty to teach privately, in classrooms, and perform in quintets with other faculty. Theresa could play almost any instrument at any time after course study and private lessons.

In 1973, she came back to Indiana University to work on her doctorate in performance.

The Air Force stepped in when Theresa answered an ad wanting a bassoon player in the DC band. She interviewed and was hired. Then she had to join the Air Force which she did with her usual unafraid determination to test, do 6 weeks basic camp and become a member of The United States Air Force in 1974.

Theresa joined the Air Force band at Bolling AF Base in DC. While there for 15 years, she continued to teach bassoon privately and teach students how to make the double reeds of the bassoon and oboe instruments. Amazing process! She also tutored inner city students at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in DC where Uncle Turley and Aunt Lucyle were members.

Due to a conflict with the new director in 1989 she went into that 3-year rotation all service members do. First to Langley AF Base in Virginia, then Japan where she became adept at eating with chop sticks, and finally Offutt AF Base in Bellevue, Nebraska. She retired from there in 1997.

Theresa continued to teach and participate in music groups, becoming choir director at a local church for 3 years, and participating 18 years with a local community band The PAC {Papillion Area Community Band}, playing clarinet. She also taught computers to older adults at a local community place and did tap dancing and clogging with other ladies at that same group gathering place.

The family decided in 2018 to bring Theresa back to Hampton Oaks. There I, her sister, enabled her to attend family Thanksgiving, 2 Christmases, one family wedding, and the burial of our brother Jim, before Covid shut down many activities. Hampton Oaks took excellent care of Theresa, feeding her well.

Theresa was preceded in death by her parents, Merrill C. and Margaret Mace Turley, the first niece Katherine Weadick, her older sister Judith Turley Weadick, and her older brother James M. Turley.

Theresa is survived by Una and Phil Turley, 8 nieces and nephews, and several grand nieces and nephews.

Cremation was chosen with burial at Liberty Cemetery in Orange County near her parents and brother.

There are no services to be done. Each one of you who knew Theresa, say a blessing that she is up there happily playing that awesome huge bassoon with others.