I moved from Pueblo, Co to our new house on Union when I was 5.  Teri's family bought the house behind us the next year. Teri was a year younger than me, but we became fast, best friends.  We jumped the chain link fence  all day long.  We started our day watching cartoons and eating out of cereal boxes. We spent our day playing barbies, jacks, riding our bikes and walking everywhere.  We loved going to Cinderella City, on the bus, and walking around and eating whatever snacks we wanted.  We loved going to Arctic Circle for their french fries and sauce (which was like Freddy's), and getting chocolate long johns, at King Sooper's.  We went rolling skating and ice skating.  We were always just dropped off in those day and picked when we were done.  We never got our ice skates fitted right and our feet hurt so bad , we never lasted long!!  We went to the movies a lot for  double features, the Woodlawn was one and the Gothic the other. Teri always got Junior Mints and I got Milk Duds.  I guess a lot of our memories were centered around food!! HA! We had tons of kids in our neighborhood, we played tag and "kiss em-ditch em" where you had to kiss which ever boy caught you!!  One exciting night at the Gothic theater the great flood of '65 occurred and all the bridges over the South Platte were wiped out except one that my mom was able to use to pick us up and get us home safely.  We climbed up on our roof the next day to see the devastation and see someone's cow in our neighbors lawn.  This was a historic moment we shared in our lives. 

When I was in the 8th grade my Dad got a job transfer to Albuquerque and we didn't get to experience high school together.  By the time I moved back to Denver Teri was traveling and living in different parts of the world.We were able to reconnect when she moved back to her old house to take care of Chuck and her Mom.  We were a comfort to each other and supportive of her health struggles, their deaths and my Mom's death last year. 

I was so envious of my first  best friend.  She was soo talented in everything she put her mind to.  She painted my childhood bed and dresser to pass down to my grand child. I have her candles burning in my warmer. I texted her to tell her I was making her" Cowboy"  casserole that was so yummy and thinking of her. We had just gone to lunch and I found out she passed the next day.  I am so glad I had a chance to tell her I loved her when I did.  She gave me a little angel last year and said she would always be looking out for me.

I hope you are enjoying beautiful gardens with flowers, dragonflies, butterflies, mountains,  dancing and listening to great music - pain free!

I will so miss our breakfast's and lunch's, laughing and remembering things that only the two of us shared together.

LOVE YOU!  ROCHELLE

• John Byrne Solo Video Tribute to Teri from Service

When Teri and I were in high school we hitchhiked downtown, the band Chicago was in town and staying at one of the hotels, Teri wanted to see if we ran into the band, we got into the elevator and Peter Cetera was standing in the elevator, we ended up going to his room and he played the guitar for us, I knew if my mom found out I would be in so much trouble, she never found out and I will never forget that day we had so much fun.

Debra Hinton 

My condolences to the family of Teri Vaughn.

Dan