Theresa Ann Couch

Theresa Ann Couch was born on May 12, 1957, to Lois June Burke Couch and Thomas Mercier Couch in Tyler, Texas. She had two older brothers – Thomas M. Couch II and Timothy B. Couch. Her father was a pharmaceutical company representative. Her mother was a homemaker until all of her children were in school. She then resumed work as an administrative assistant.

Theresa attended public schools and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 1975. She continued her education receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications with High Honors from Texas Tech University in 1979. Theresa initially worked as a radio news reporter. In that capacity, she frequently served as a courthouse reporter. When she resolved that she was smarter than the lawyers she was reporting on, she decided to attend Law School. Theresa achieved a Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree with Honors from The University of Texas at Austin Law School in 1985.

Theresa came to Dallas and began her career as an attorney with the firm of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman, and Blumenthal. She then transitioned to corporate law and began work as an employment litigation attorney for Texas Instruments. She rose to the rank of Senior Legal Counsel. While at Texas Instruments, Theresa agreed to accept the position of Senior European Counsel for three years. She was first assigned to England, and later moved to Germany, before returning to Dallas where she worked for Texas Instruments until her retirement.

Theresa loved to travel, taking numerous cruises and visiting many countries. She traveled across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In Europe, she covered not only England and Germany, but visited Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Malta, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Greece, to name a few. In one of her last trips, she went to China. She most frequently traveled with her mother or her best friend.

Theresa was an active congregant at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation. She participated in the Acosta Smith Guild, the prayer shawl knitting group, and was a member of the Book Club. She loved to entertain and hosted many parties and informal gatherings with friends.

Despite being diagnosed with adult-onset Muscular Dystrophy, and eventually suffering a stroke that left her partially paralyzed, Theresa persisted in socializing and bonding with people. She, her brother Tim, and their mother moved into a house together. With their help, and that of a dedicated home health aide and personal trainers, she continued to entertain and connect with friends, and to exercise multiple times each week.

Theresa died on March 6, 2024, after a short illness. She is survived by her brother, Tim, numerous paternal cousins, and a host of friends. Theresa was a great lover of dogs, particularly dachshunds, and spoiled the ones who lived with her. She is survived by one of the family's dachshunds.

Theresa’s funeral is Friday, April 5 at 11:00 in Memorial Chapel at Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney, Dallas, Texas. Interment will immediately follow in the church columbarium.