Teresa Herrera Lucas' Obituary
Teresa H. Lucas was born to Antonio A. Herrera (deceased-April 1996) and Francisca B. Herrera on October 15, 1951 in Manila, Philippines. She was the second of seven children; her siblings are Roberto (deceased-April 2017)), Patricia, Antonio Jr., Angelita, Rodolfo, and Ester. Her husband, Benjamin H. Lucas, passed away in 2012. She has one daughter with special needs, Joanna Paula (simply Paula to everyone). Teresa regarded her daughter as a gift from God and loved her with a boundless affection and devotion.
She graduated from the University of the East in the Philippines with a bachelor’s degree in Secretarial Education and immediately got a job as a professor in her Alma Mater where she taught for several years. Having gained vast teaching experience and further credentials in the field of education enabled her to co-establish a vocational school that offered a fast-track comprehensive course for administrative assistants.
Her teaching profession came to a halt when she immigrated to the U.S. in 1987 where a new career in nonprofit social services began to take shape. For over 26 years, Teresa held various positions at the Union of Pan Asian Communities, the last one of which was as Senior Nutrition Program Coordinator. She also worked for many years at Hope Adult Day Health Care Center (ADHC) as interim Program Director, then as assistant and consultant to the President and CEO. Moreover, she briefly served as Program Director at Open Arms ADHC. Teresa worked tirelessly to make sure seniors were provided nutritious meals and given opportunities for enriching interactions. She was a dedicated advocate and cheerleader for them. Teresa went beyond her usual job duties and created supportive and nurturing rapport with the seniors. She sought creative and energizing ways to engage them, at one point, even undergoing training to become a Zumba instructor so she could teach Zumba exercises to her seniors.
Teresa’s daughter, Paula, was born with developmental disability and severe seizure disorder, which brought on particular challenges. She never felt discouraged by Paula’s disability but rather saw the challenges as opportunities. For this reason, she took special courses in child development. Having Paula propelled Teresa to be a passionate advocate for people with developmental disability. She sought out other families in a similar situation so they could support each other. As if these were not enough, together with a couple of social workers, she co-founded the Filipino American Association for Developmental Disabilities (FAADD). For over ten years now, this organization has been a source of mutual support and a resource for persons with developmental disabilities and their families.
Teresa loved everyone and possessed an infectious zest for life. She had a generous and welcoming spirit and always loved to gather people together, whether as a group to pursue a common purpose, or gather friends and family to enjoy each other’s company over delicious food.
When she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2018, Teresa’s spirit did not waver. She took everything from the hand of God, accepting the diagnosis, and all its implications, with peace and tranquility. It was with immense gratitude and joy that she received the news that her tumor was operable and could be removed -- a chance to prolong life for only about 15% of pancreatic cancer patients. Immediately she texted us: “God truly cannot be outdone in His generosity. He answered again all our prayers and I am in awe of how much God really loves me.”
To attribute Teresa’s positive attitude and love of life to her innate personality and natural disposition is to give an incomplete picture of who she was. Her life and being were anchored on a deep and strong spiritual life. In her teens, Teresa encountered the Focolare Movement (Work of Mary) and immediately adhered to its spirituality of unity. Throughout her life, she tried to adopt the core Gospel message of love of God and love of neighbor as a way of life. This imbued and motivated her relationships with everyone. She drew from the well of this spirituality the strength, perseverance, and generosity to continue living life to the fullest, even with the weight of her illness. With fervent faith, she prayed for a miracle and, at the same time, was fully open to and accepting of God’s will for her. She continued to give of herself to her friends and family in whatever way she was still able to; for example, by cooking delicious meals and sharing it with family and friends. As her illness progressed, Teresa considered her discomfort and pain as gift offerings to the Lord and said “For you Jesus” every time she had pain. Her physical and emotional suffering had meaning when she united them with Jesus’ own passion and self-giving on the cross. And when she could not have her daughter Paula, by her side, it was an immense anguish for Teresa. But even here, she looked to Mary, Jesus’ mother, as a role model for letting go, out of love, because Mary, too, had to let go of her own Son. In the end, Teresa surrendered herself to God’s will and with much peace returned home to her Creator. She leaves behind a legacy of a life lived in faith and love. She will be missed by the many people she has touched, and in whose lives she has made a difference. Most of all, she will be missed by her family with whom she has forged a strong and deep bond of love, that will endure in this life and beyond, because it remains in Eternity.
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