Teresa Soobitsky

Teri was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Orlando, Florida at age 14. She earned her Associate Degree from Valencia Community College and built a lifelong career centered on fitness and service. Early in her career she managed a chain of Jack LaLanne fitness centers in Central Florida, later moving into an Advertising sales role while continuing to teach aerobics on the side. She spent 25 years with Sunbelt Rentals — starting when the company was known as NationsRent — most recently as a Sales Manager covering government contracts in South Florida, before retiring in October 2024.

In October 2025, Teri and her husband Aaron moved to the Esplanade at Tradition, a 55+ community in Port St. Lucie, where they quickly settled in, embracing the community’s social life and staying active with pilates and yoga at the clubhouse.

Teri lived with energy and curiosity. She loved live music, attending concerts by Chris Stapleton, the Rolling Stones, and the Grateful Dead. She had recently begun building an art collection for their new home and was a voracious reader — her Kindle held over 200 finished books and over 100 waiting in the queue, with Barbara O’Neal’s A Thousand Painted Hours her most recent read. In retirement, she had been looking forward to taking creative writing courses and hoped to write and publish her own work.

Teri is survived by her husband, Aaron Soobitsky; stepdaughter Leah Burland and husband Tom, and their son Wesley; and stepson Taylor Soobitsky and his wife Emily Johnston, and their children Lottie, Caleb, and Fritz. She was predeceased by her mother, Iva Jean Lands; stepfather, Edward O’Connell; and father, John Gillis.

A Celebration of Life will be held on November 18, 2026, at Esplanade at Tradition in Port St. Lucie — fittingly, also her and Aaron’s wedding anniversary, a date chosen so that Aaron could celebrate her on the day that meant the most to them both.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lung Cancer Foundation in honor of her father.