Teresa Dughi Burt

Teresa Dughi Burt was born at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC on June 17th 1947, to John and Evelyn Dughi. She was the youngest of three girls and raised in Raleigh. She graduated from Broughton High School in 1965 and later went on to Rex Hospital School of Nursing. She graduated from Rex with her class, affectionately called “the Boat Rockers”, in 1970, and began her nursing career. She later attended East Carolina University and graduated in 1974 with her Bachelor’s degree in nursing. She was a nurse for over 54 years and worked in many different units / areas at Rex Hospital and as a nursing instructor before pausing to raise a family. Once the kids were mostly self-sufficient and wouldn’t burn the house down, she resumed her career at Saleeby Chiropractic Center and then returned to Rex Hospital at the Convalescent Care Center. Before her retirement she returned to her greatest passion in the nursing field as an instructor. She taught at Wake Tech for several years and taught hundreds of future nurses everything she could about medicine, compassion, and caring for others. She loved her students dearly. Teresa frequently shared how proud she was of them with family and friends years after they had graduated. She was always so excited to see or hear from her students after their schooling was over and held each one near to her heart.

During her time at ECU, she started dating, and later married, Charlie Burt. Teresa became the stepmother to Charlie’s two girls, Karen and Sharon, and they had two children together as well; Tony and Emily. She loved being a mother and really encouraged and supported her children in so many endeavors and interests including Scouts, swimming / diving teams, marching band trips/fundraising, church service projects, and more. When Sharon had children, she affectionately became known as “Grandma T” to Ben and Jacob and enjoyed taking the boys fishing and playing and spending time with her first grandchildren.

Being a grandmother filled Teresa with pride and happiness. Her dedication as “NaNa” to Christian, Eva and Nora led to frequent FaceTime calls and several trips to Washington State each year, especially around Halloween. Halloween characters that Teresa played brilliantly were Night Ninja (PJ Masks), The Fairy Godmother (Cinderella), Olaf (Frozen), Edna Mode (The Incredibles), and Nana Healer (Bluey). We all know she would have made it big if Disney had ever seen her perform. She dressed up as any character her granddaughters asked her to and loved witnessing them grow and learn. She showed up for all the big events including weddings, births, birthdays, Christian’s graduation, surgery recovery, and Anna’s graduation from nursing school. Even during her sickness and treatment, she had booked her ticket to see Christian graduate from the University of Arizona in May.

Teresa’s life was rich and full, centered around the people and things she loved; her church, her passion for nursing, her love of music and singing, and for a long time, a bowling league that she really enjoyed and traveled all over the country to tournaments. Teresa made loved ones a priority and had many weekly traditions like the ladies’ lunch bunch and thrift shopping with her best friend where she found much joy in finding treasures and getting clothes for Tony’s three children. She was involved in choirs and ministries at Highland United Methodist Church for several decades and sang for several years in a women’s choir called the Cardinal Singers. The Cardinal Singers sang in several locations around Raleigh and even went on tour in Italy at one point.

After Charlie and Teresa had been divorced for more than twenty years, Teresa found love again and a great blessing in Ryan Keith, and they were wed in December of 2013. Their love blossomed from the lasting bond of the Rex “Boat Rockers”; which is a testament to the closeness of that cohort of mischievous nurses. Ryan also shared Teresa’s love for music and singing and they both attended Highland UMC and Wake Forest Baptist Church, participating in choirs and other events, making several friends and lasting bonds along the way. He was an honorary member of the Cardinal Singers and used his videography talents to record them whenever he had a chance.

In March/ April of 2024, Teresa developed severe joint pain and after several doctors, appointments, and tests, she was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer that had metastasized all throughout her body. She fought with everything she had and was always so very grateful for the care and support she received during this time. In November of 2024, she was admitted into the hospital and after several complications and one last Hail Mary in hospital chemo attempt, Teresa said she was ready to be comfortable. Teresa said her goodbyes and blessed her loved ones. She was told that she would likely need to be transferred home or to a hospice facility, as the time she would be on hospice might be extensive. Teresa did not want to be transported anywhere. She was comfortable where she was. She did not want any more pain or movements. On November 21st, 2024, Teresa took a nap and then quickly and peacefully took her last breath. She was at Rex Hospital, right where she wanted to stay, with Tony, Emily, and Ryan beside her. Rex was a huge part of her life from birth, to her career, and ultimately her death.

Teresa touched countless lives in so many different ways and will be forever remembered as a helper, someone who cared deeply for others and, at times, a force to be reckoned with. Teresa is survived by her oldest sister, Mary Evelyn Miller (Tom); her son, Tony Burt, (Anna) and his 3 children, Christian, Evenlyn and Nora; daughter, Emily Burt; stepdaughters Karen Burt (Chad Keppen) and Sharon McCabe (Barry); Sharon’s sons, Ben McCabe (Karina; sons, Benji and Grayson) and Jacob McCabe (Lori). Her oldest sister, Anna Ray Eikenberry, sadly passed away 2 weeks after her and met her in heaven. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews as well as all of you. When she loved, she loved fiercely, and you were considered family. Teresa was preceded in death by her parents, John and Evelyn Dughi of Raleigh, and several dear friends and cousins.

Teresa meant the world to her nursing students and as previously mentioned, her students meant the world to her. In lieu of flowers, the family would like to request donations be made to the School of Nursing at Wake Technical Community College. A fund is being setup to honor her and to help nursing students overcome financial hurdles in pursuing their degree and serving others in their career. This is a way that her memory can help impact many nursing students and hundreds of future patients in their care.

Checks should be made payable to the Wake Tech Foundation at 9101 Fayetteville Road, Raleigh, NC 27603 and include “in memory of Teresa Burt”.

For online donations, visit https://www.waketech.edu/wake-tech-foundation/what/donate-now .

The family would like to invite you to a celebration of life to be held for Teresa at Highland United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC, on June 28th 2025, at 2pm, and live-streamed at www.youtube.com/@highlandumc-raleigh/live

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https://humcralnc.sermon.net/