Teri Lou Zenner

Teri L Zenner, 59, of Mesa Arizona, passed away peacefully on October 4th, 2026, at Banner Desert Memorial Hospital surrounded by her family and loved ones.

Teri was born on August 11th 1967, in St Paul Minnesota. She often recounted many fond memories of exploring the woods surrounding the family home she grew up in alongside her sisters and parents. Though she often recalled the dreadful winters, she also shared her love of the diverse wildlife she enjoyed and the unique experience of growing up in such a small town.

When she was 16, she moved to The Dalles Oregon, where she completed her high school education, and met several life long friends. She often recalled feeling like an outsider, and during these years the friends she made encouraged her to embrace her unique identity, helping form the independent spirit that defined Teri for the rest of her life. After graduating she moved to Arizona in 1987 and lived with her sister, Shelly, until she met Chris Zenner, her future husband of 22 years. The two were married on May 23, 1992, and afterwards were blessed with two boys, Dylan and Casey, who became the light of her life.

Teri dedicated her life to the raising of her boys, and during her years as a stay at home mom instilled in her children the values that she believed most important. Once her kids began attending school, she sought employment at Canyon Rim Elementary around 2005, the same school her boys attended. After leaving Canyon Rim in 2012 she worked several positions before finding a job at Pima Medical Institute where she began her tenure as a recruiter and eventually became the Lead Career Services Coordinator for the East Mesa Campus. Everyone that worked with Teri recalled her kindness, how much she cared for every student and coworker she met, and her willingness to give one-hundred and ten percent every day she went to work.

Teri was blessed with immense creativity, always finding some outlet to express herself. Whether that was scrapbooks, illustrations, jewelry, or her handmade wreaths, she never sought financial gain from her works, but instead decorated her living space with them or gave them as gifts to loved ones and friends. She was a deeply passionate admirer of animals and loved her adopted pets like family. Her pleasures were simple, if sweet; sunsets, a good movie, TV show, or story, and anything with sugar, especially if it was chocolate. But the thing she was most passionate about was helping others. Teri would never hesitate to over extend herself if it meant that she could help someone else, even if it were a stranger. Her heart overflowed with love. There will never be another like her.

She is survived by her two sons, Dylan and Casey, as well as by her father Richard, her mother Shirley, and her two sisters Debbie and Shelly.

A celebration of life service will occur on Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 3pm-6pm at Advantage Melcher Roses located at 43 S. Stapley Dr. Mesa, AZ 85204.