Theresa Dicks (nee Gilmartin) was born in the Rosebank section of Staten Island in 1931 to Catherine and Thomas Gilmartin. She attended St. Mary’s school in Rosebank and then St. Peter’s Girls High School. She later moved with her family to New Brighton and after graduation went to work at The Hanover Bank in Manhattan. Theresa married Joseph Dicks in 1956 and they would be married for 57 years. She left her job at the bank in 1958 to raise her four children - Kathleen Boyer, Maryellen Colombo, Anne Pollock, and Joseph Dicks Jr. In 1960, the family moved to Dongan Hills, to the home where Theresa would reside for the rest of her life. Once her children were in school, she returned to work part-time at Carmel Richmond Nursing Home as a Nurses Aide, retiring in 1988. In retirement, she traveled with her husband Joe and with family and friends.
She was involved with multiple volunteer efforts and organizations. She was a member of the Associates of the Sisters of Charity - Halifax, as well as the Ladies Auxiliary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. She was active in the Alumni Association of St. Peter’s Girls High School. When her children were young, she was also a Girl Scout Troop Leader for over ten years. Theresa also volunteered at Carmel Richmond as a Eucharistic Minister for many years, and in later years, would often make sure to visit friends who were homebound. She was active in her parish, St. Sylvester’s, and participated in multiple parish activities such as the annual Blood Drive and Hospitality Sunday, as well as serving as a Eucharistic Minister.
Theresa loved her Irish heritage and travelled to Ireland with her husband Joe and other family members in 1988. In her spare time, she enjoyed reading mysteries, especially Mary Higgins Clarke novels, and watching Notre Dame football and Blue Bloods on television. Her true joy was being able to spend time with family, especially her four children, their spouses, and her nine grandchildren. She was a loving aunt and great aunt to dozens of nieces and nephews. Theresa had a knack for making friends with anyone she met and was full of joy. She could make anyone smile, and if she met you once, you had a friend for life. In her later years, she enjoyed the company of many friends and family, as well as neighbors and caregivers who also became her close friends.
Theresa is preceded in death by husband Joseph, and her siblings Marie, Thomas (Virginia), Sr. Kathleen Gilmartin, SC, James (Christine), Loretta, and Patricia.
She is survived by her four children, Kathleen (Allen) Boyer, Maryellen (Andre) Colombo, Anne (David) Pollock, and Joseph Dicks Jr. (Denise). She is also survived by her nine grandchildren, each of whom she loved very much, Elizabeth (Jason) Large, Katherine Colombo, Declan Boyer, Allison Colombo, Kyle Pollock, Kerry Pollock, Thomas Boyer, Meaghan Dicks, and Shannon Dicks.
A wake will be held at the Harmon Home for Funerals, West Brighton, on Thursday, October 6 from 2pm-4pm and 7pm-9pm. The funeral will be Friday from the Harmon Home with a mass at 11am at St. Sylvester's Church, Concord. Burial will follow in St. Peter's Cemetery.
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