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I met Terri in Inuvik, and she was the Mom that I needed at that time. She was the most kind, caring and lovely person a 9 year old girl could ask for. I am so sorry for your loss. Any life she touched was better because of her. 
Getting to meet Teresa was an added bonus to my son marrying her daughter Debbie. She was a delight with whom to plan the minutiae of the wedding event. It was a pleasure each time I saw her at the family events.
Teresa was a calm presence who never boasted of her many accomplishments. I’m happy to have been acquainted with her. I’m so sorry that she will be absent from future family activities. It will be a major absence—however, I’m sure the memories of her will be shared and passed on to her grandchildren.
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My most sincere condolences to the LaGrange family.
Dr. LaGrange will be so missed, she was an incredible teacher and mentor, she stuck with me throughout my studies at Cleveland State and beyond. When she took the administrative role at CSU and was busier than ever she would always make time to have lunch with me and help me navigate both my professional and personal life. She was an incredible support and friend. She spoke so highly of her children and she always had a smile to share. Dr. LaGrange will always have a space in my heart- she was an inspiration to so many. She was just, kind and wise- a more incredible human would be hard to find.
May your loving memories bring you peace and comfort during this difficult time.
Teresa loved classical music and one of the elements that ultimately wooed her to Cleveland was the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. With friends, colleagues, and children, Teresa attended many performances.
The last performance that we attended together was a summer set at Blossom the year that she retired.
On the set list was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (complete with cannons!) and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful performance.
https://youtu.be/SQNymNaTr-Y
In response to "What did Teresa love to do?"
My mom has taught me so much of life that I couldn't even begin to go in to the breadth of her influence here, for I would ultimately end up writing a novel. Teresa was a force to be reckoned in almost every aspect of her life.
As a mother, she was loving, intelligent, creative, and fun. Now that I have children of my own, I continuously marvel at her ability to raise the 6 of us as flawlessly as she had. Teresa hand sewed our toddler clothes, cooked us elaborate and healthy meals, created science projects, craft projects, and somehow managed to handle highly emotional situations with grace and humor. Every time I find myself faced with a difficult parenting moment, I always ask myself how Teresa would handle the situation and there I have my answer.
This methodology is not confined to parenting, however, as I try to emulate my mom in many aspects of my life. As a friend, she gave unparalleled advice. She understood people and complex social situations and seemed to have the right answers for all my school yard drama growing up. As a teacher, her depth of knowledge ranged from making soap from scratch to baking the perfect lasagna to reading music to applying mathematics in understanding logically complex situations. As a professional mentor, she taught me to be diplomatic, practical, and charismatic in my work.

I love her immensely and I will feel her loss indefinitely. However, she is not gone as her spirit, humor, intelligence, and fortitude will continue to influence and guide her children while we move through the obstacles of life and build legacies of our own.
Teresa was wonderful -- smart and fair, took things in perspective. I worked with her for several years when she was Associate Dean of the College and always enjoyed her becalmed approach. She made me feel like I counted and did the same for everybody. Teresa did a lot for Cleveland State. We miss her.
In response to "What act of kindness did you witness from Teresa?"
Shared a heart Red heart
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I was lucky enough to meet Teresa when we were both graduate students at the University of Alberta. She was completing her Ph.D. and I was working on my MA under the supervision of Bob Silverman. We both graduated in 1996; she headed to Cleveland and I returned to Toronto for my Ph.D. As I was finishing up there in 2000, she sent me a job ad for Cleveland State. The rest, as they say, is history. I joined her in the (then) Sociology department and we worked together to grow the Criminology program. She was an amazing colleague, always kind, supportive, caring, and thoughtful. She was always there to listen and offer advice. Teresa was an excellent instructor and the students were drawn to her strong teaching skills and warm personality. Her exceptional abilities were detected by those in administration, and she went on to become an Associate Dean and ultimately a Vice Provost, but her warm, caring demeanor never changed. I am deeply saddened by her passing. I will miss her dearly. My sincere condolences to her family.
Sincere condolences to the LaGrange family.
Teresa attended an undergraduate criminology class I taught and subsequently worked with me on her MA and Phd. In 40 years of teaching, she was the best undergraduate student I ever had. She was a dream student as an MA and PhD candidate. She was a complete self-starter. All I had to do was get out of the way and let her do what needed to be done, while occasionally offering advice when asked. I was in awe of Teresa’s ability to go through a rigorous academic program while raising a large family on her own.
Teresa had worked with me on the proposal that got her PhD project funded and her first article in a major criminology journal came from that work. That was quite a coup for a newly minted scholar.
I followed her career with interest, and we kept in touch from time to time. After her retirement we began corresponding more regularly and found some interests in common well outside of academia. She was a terrific person – very smart, analytical, kind, considerate and sweet.
Learning of her passing has left me stunned. I feel privileged to have known her and to have played this role in her life.
In response to "What always reminds you of Teresa?"
Oil painting self portrait - …
1972
Oil painting self portrait - Teresa LaGrange (1972)
It did not take me long to realize that Teresa was special. She was one of about 125 students in a Juvenile Delinquency Course that I taught at the University of Alberta, and it was clear that she was not the normal run of the mill undergrad. True, she stood out because she was older than the others- but it was soon evident that she was an outstanding scholar.
I got to know her better during that semester and was surprised to learn that she had returned to university while raising 5 children and was registered in a program that would have lead to a job in criminal Justice administration. Now, that is an admirable career - but she had the potential to do more. I was just one of several colleagues who encouraged her to make a switch to a program that would lead to a post-graduate career- and she was finally persuaded to make that leap of faith and pursue that option. It was a risky option and required making a commitment to remain in University for several more years. But she did that and I still cannot imagine how she did so while raising her family - and doing both with such dedication, distinction and brilliance.
I kept in touch by email and the occasional visit at academic conferences over the years. And I was not surprised to hear from her CSU colleagues that she was so well loved and respected by her students at Cleveland State.
I would like her family to know that she was an inspiration to those of us who knew her at the University of Alberta and we are all proud that she finally had the opportunity for her intellectual brilliance to shine in an academic setting.
I am confident that she inspired many of her CSU students to reach for the stars and follow their dreams.
Rest In Peace beloved friend. You will be missed and long remembered by me and many others.
In response to "What did you learn from Teresa?"

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