TERESA BARBARA IANORA 

April 17, 1938 – August 13, 2023

*Teresa Barbara Ianora (nee Caravella) lived a life grounded in faith, family, service, hospitality, and a deep connection to her Italian heritage. Born April 17, 1938, to Helen and Joseph Caravella, Terry spent much of her early life in Brooklyn, New York, alongside her younger sister, Patricia.

*Her husband was a childhood acquaintance who also grew up in Brooklyn. They married the summer after Terry graduated from college and she moved to Bologna, Italy, where their first daughter, Marielena, was born. During Residency in the States, 3 more children would be born; Serena, Victoria, and Joseph. After residency, her husband was drafted into the Army and stationed in Fort Sill, OK.

The family moved to Oregon, on the recommendation of a fellow Flight Surgeon who described Eugene and its locale as “God’s Country.” The family ultimately decided to make Oregon their home, moving to Eugene around 1968.

Terry had her last child, Patricia, on the last day of 1970 in Eugene, making her the mother of 5.

*Terry immensely enjoyed living in Italy early in her married life. She spoke Italian and maintained a lifelong affection for the language and her Italian heritage, including sharing the language with her family.

*By approximately 1970, Terry had settled into the Eugene home that would remain hers for more than half a century. Eugene was the home in which she raised her family, welcomed countless people, and ultimately spent the final years of her life.

*Terry had a natural gift for hospitality. Charismatic and outgoing, she loved conversation, entertaining, and being surrounded by people. She especially loved feeding them. Her table was a place for family, friends, food, stories, laughter, and connection. Welcoming and caring for people was simply part of who Terry was.

*Her Catholic faith was at the center of her life. Teresa was a devoted Secular Carmelite, and her Carmelite vocation was an especially meaningful part of her spiritual identity. She was active at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Eugene and was also well known within the community of Nativity of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church.

*Terry’s faith was expressed not only through prayer and worship but also through a lifetime of service to others. In the early 1970s, she helped establish the Eugene chapter of Birthright, an organization dedicated to supporting pregnant women and families. The work became an important part of her life and an enduring expression of her belief in caring for women, children, and families. She remained deeply involved in that ministry for decades, including serving in a leadership role for over 40 years.

*Above all, Terry’s life centered around her family. She was the mother of five, grandmother of 12, and great-grandmother of three. The family that began with a young couple in Brooklyn grew across generations, and Terry took great joy in the people who surrounded her.

*The final 11 years of Terry’s life brought extraordinary challenges. A tragic accident left her with quadriplegia and dramatically altered nearly every aspect of her daily life. Yet it did not take from her the qualities that had always defined her. Within the limitations imposed by her injuries, Terry continued to engage with the people around her and sought to enjoy her life as fully as she possibly could. The resilience with which she faced those years reflected the strength, determination, and faith that had been part of her throughout her life.

*Terry will be remembered for her deep faith, her devotion to her family, her decades of service to others, her Italian heritage, her resilience, and her unmistakable ability to connect with people. She loved a full house, good conversation, and a table with enough food for everyone — and preferably a little more.

*She leaves behind five children, 12 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, her sister Patti, and the many friends, members of her faith communities, and people whose lives she touched through decades of service in Eugene.

*More than fifty years after first making Eugene her home, Terry completed her life in the same home where so much of her family’s story had unfolded — a home filled over the years with children and grandchildren, visitors and friends, faith, conversation, food, and memories.

St. Mary’s will celebrate Terry’s funeral on September 1 at 12:15. Preceding the liturgy will be a Carmelite ceremony at 11:15 followed by the Rosary at 11:30. A reception in the church hall will follow the conclusion of the liturgy. Interment will be attended by family only on a separate date.

In lieu of flowers Terry requested that any Memorial contributions be made to the local FirstWay office.