Teresa Mary Perricone

   On March 10, 2020, Teresa Mary Perricone slipped the
mortal bounds of earth and entered her well-deserved home in Heaven. She was 95 years old at the time of her passing, and left behind a life replete with experiences, only a well-written story could adequately tell. She was born in the Republic of Ireland on February 18, 1925 to Robert and Constance Thornton, of Harold’s Cross, Dublin, Ireland. Her upbringing was very modest, as Ireland, only four years earlier, freed itself from the bonds of England and became a sovereign nation. Resources in the nascent nation were modest, to say the least, but her parents, both predeceased, raised her and her six siblings, brothers Robert, Denis, and John; and her sisters, Peggy, Mary Ann, and Margie, likewise all predeceased, with what they had and with the Blessings of God. When World War II erupted in Europe, Teresa and her sister, Margie, left Ireland, and at a very young age, went to work in a British munitions factory, as England needed workers. She settled in the Midlands of England where she survived several Nazi bombings, as England’s Midlands were the country’s industrial heartland. After D-Day, she went to a USO-sponsored dance and met an American soldier who was wounded in Normandy and was just released from a military hospital. Over a requested match to light a cigarette, a relationship blossomed and on January 8, 1946 she married Salvador Perricone, of New Orleans, Louisiana, in Saint George’s Church in Worcester, England. After her new husband departed England on a troop ship headed for the United States, Teresa followed her true love to New Orleans. She was only 21-years old, but deeply in love with a man with a big heart. When she arrived in New Orleans, which was vastly different from Dublin, she and her husband began their lives together. She became an American Citizen and, while her husband worked for Barq’s Beverage Company, Teresa became a very capable home maker and raised two children, Kathleen Mary Perricone (West) of Sunset, Louisiana and Salvador Robert Perricone of Harahan, Louisiana. As a young mother, she was very capable of facing any challenges two children and a hard-working husband could bring to her young life. She imported her tough Irish upbringing with her to the United States and spared no love for her family, depending on the situation. One of her favorite expressions was, “I never went to college, but I met the scholars on the way back.” And her counsel and wisdom were unassailable evidence of that fact. Her children are testaments to her skill as a mother, as they grew into productive adults and were at her side when she drew her last breath. Her husband passed away in October of 1983 and, thereafter, her children became her support system for the balance of her life. She is survived by her two children, mentioned above, and two grandsons, Robert Salvador Perricone, Ph.D., of Poughkeepsie, New York, and Adam Joseph Perricone, MD, Ph.D. (Kelly) of Atlanta, Georgia, and granddaughter, Jill Rene West (Gaskins) and two great-granddaughters, Kaitlyn Grace Gaskins and Emma Jane Gaskins, two great-grandsons, Ethan Conor Perricone and Emerson Michael Perricone. Also she is survived by her loving son-in-law, Tom D. West, of Sunset, Louisiana and her loving daughter-in-law, Marianela F. Perricone of Harahan, Louisiana. Teresa was also a breast cancer survivor and, before retiring, she worked at Godchaux’s Clothing Store, when it was located in Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie, Louisiana. After her home was flooded as result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she, at the age of 85, sold her home in Metairie, Louisiana and had another one built in Sunset, Louisiana, near her daughter, Kathleen. After she sustained a broken hip, as a consequence of a simple fall in her front yard in March of 2019, Teresa had to move into the Senior Village Nursing Home in Opelousas, Louisiana, where she met many new friends and was loved by the other residents and the staff. Teresa’s family would like to thank the staff at Senior Village for taking great care of her, until her final moments on this earth.
Family are friends are invited to attend the Funeral services celebrating her life at St. Rita’s Catholic Church, 7100 Jefferson Highway, Harahan, Louisiana on Monday, March 16, 2020, with visitation commencing at 10:00 AM, followed by a Funeral Mass at noon. Interment will be at Lakelawn Mausoleum, 5454 Pontchartrain Blvd. The family would also like to thank the staff at Grace Hospice in Lafayette, Louisiana. JACOB SCHOEN & SON FUNERAL HOME, 3827 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119 in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be expressed at www.schoenfh.com

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