Obituary of Therese Marie Caulfield-Koch

A Life Well Lived
Therese Marie Caulfield-Koch passed away on May 13, 2023, peacefully
called to God’s loving care. She joins her husband, Bernard, who
predeceased her in 1971 and her second husband, Mac, who died in
2011.
Born to Margaret and George Thorne on Sept 29, 1926, Therese was
the oldest of the Thorne girls and proud of it. She was a shy child who
loved to get together with her many cousins for family events and
holidays. Early on, Therese showed a keen interest in caring for young
children. While still in high school, Therese’s parents gave permission
for their daughter to join the Army Nurse Corps where she planned to
work in the newborn nursery. However, the rigorous training of 18-
hour days during World War 2 proved to be too much and Therese
would have to follow a different path.
Therese went to college and earned her degree in Early Childhood
Education. She became a kindergarten teacher, spending 34 years at
P.S.159 in Bayside, Queens. Therese loved this age group. As a matter
of fact, the one year that she was “promoted” to first grade, she had a
miserable time because the first graders “didn’t need her as much”.
Things quickly returned to normal the following year!
She enjoyed gardening and playing with her dogs. Baking for her family
and friends held a special place in her heart. She became “famous” for
her Christmas cookies from November to January and beach plum jelly
and ice cream sodas at Wading River in the summer months.
Therese is survived by her four children, Isabel A. (John), Alice M.
(Barry), Bernard J. and Therese G. and her cherished grandchildren,
Kelly Thompson, Jen Meyers, Michael Queren, Alexis Schneider, Jen
Schneider and Michael Schneider.