Teresa Thruman Summerlin

Survivors include daughters Rebecca Griffin, Patricia Wilde, Glenda Graham, and Debra Phillips, sons Michael Summerlin, Michael Griffin, Jeffrey Griffin and Timothy Summerlin, eleven grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren. Teresa was preceded in death by her beloved husband Charles Ramsey Summerlin, her three sisters, Patricia Thruman Groff, Helen Thruman Ferguson, and Margaret Bouillon Eaton, by her son Robert Lee Griffin, and granddaughter Tanasia Rashel Upton.

Teresa Mary Thruman was born on January 28, 1930, in Litchfield, Illinois, the daughter of William Carl Thruman and Helen Mary Pardo Thruman Bouillon Hunter. The Thruman family made their home in Greenville, Illinois where Teresa and her three younger sisters graduated from Greenville High School, and where Teresa served as Valedictorian of her high school class.

Teresa met Robert Lynn Griffin at a riverboat dance in St. Louis, Missouri where she worked as a secretary for Ralston Purina and near to where he was stationed at Scott Air Force base, and they married on June 10, 1952. The Griffins relocated to Savannah, GA with the Air Force, and where Teresa worked as a secretary with the U.S. Civil Service. They later relocated to Fort Pierce, Florida, where they began their family in Bobby’s hometown. After the couple later divorced, Teresa moved her family to Vero Beach, Florida, where she worked as a Budget Assistant for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 27 years before retiring.

Teresa met the love of her life, Charles Ramsey Summerlin, a member of the large Summerlin pioneer family of Fort Pierce, Florida, and they later married on May 2, 1969. Their blended family included the four Griffin children and the five Summerlin children, and they continued to raise their children in Vero Beach, and later relocated to Sebastian, Florida. After retiring from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, Teresa continued to use her administrative skills with part-time and seasonal work for Ocean Spray and Hale Groves, well into her eighties. She was active in her church, Roseland Methodist Church in Roseland, Florida, and volunteered throughout the years as a Sunday School teacher, a Vacation Bible School volunteer, as occasional secretarial relief, Thrift Shop volunteer and Pastor Parish committee member.

The highlight of Teresa’s life was her family, and she enjoyed caring for her children and grandchildren. She was an excellent cook, loved to try new recipes, and always had a table full of loved ones. She loved boating and fishing with her beloved Charlie, the beach and shopping, her many pets, and Saturday lunches with girlfriends. She liked keeping busy and helping others wherever she was needed.

A memorial for Teresa will be held at the Roseland Methodist Church in Roseland, Florida on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at 11:00 a.m., and will include a service for her son Rob. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; two charities near and dear to Teresa’s heart.