Theresa Marie (Sabatini) Wassel

Theresa Marie Sabatini Wassel died peacefully Tuesday, January 3, at Twin Pines Nursing Home in West Grove, Pennsylvania. She was 98 years old.

Theresa (Terry) was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where she attended St. Pius Elementary School and Mount Pleasant High School. She was employed at Trans Union Trust Company and later, after attending the General Motors Institute, became the first woman to receive an accounting degree in Domestic and Foreign Auto Systems and the title of Automotive Controller. In 1970, she resigned as controller of nine auto companies to start her own private, state-licensed vocational school specializing in domestic and foreign auto systems.

In 1982, Manhattan Ford Lincoln Mercury in New York City enticed her to close her school and join as Secretary Treasurer and President Pro Tempore. She left the dealership in 1990 to retire to Spring Lake, New Jersey where, instead of resting on her laurels, she embraced a variety of activities, including serving as President of the senior group at St. Catherine’s Church in Spring Lake, organizing meetings with Cardinal John O’Connor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, trips to West Point, Atlantic City, Rockefeller Center, botanical gardens, and more.

In addition to her ground-breaking success as a woman in the automotive industry, Terry had many talents and passions, among them her amazing Italian cooking skills, including all the recipes and traditions passed down to her from her mother and beloved aunts; her gardening green thumb, including her beautiful purple hydrangeas that exploded in bloom each summer; her love of the New York giants, the Manning brothers, and tennis’s Novak Djokovic; and her always warm and welcoming home and the many family and neighborhood gatherings she hosted there.

Family was always her priority, and she leaves behind many memories surrounding Italian traditions that began decades earlier in Italy and that she carried forward, much to her family’s delight and long-lasting memories.

Terry is survived by her daughter, Robin Keeney, of Avondale, Pennsylvania, and her son, Mark Wassel (Susan) of Chicago, Illinois. She also leaves behind three grandchildren, Paige Wassel (Los Angeles), Teague Wassel (Chicago), and Jack Wassel (Chicago). Preceding her in death were parents Benedetto and Antonetta Sabatini, and brothers Ben, Peter, and Vincent.

Funeral from the Nardolillo Funeral Home & Crematory, 1278 Park Avenue, Cranston on Friday, January 13 at 8:45 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Church, 237 Garden Hills Dr., Cranston. Burial will take place at St. Ann Cemetery, 73 Church St., Cranston.  VISITING HOURS will be Thursday, January 12 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Memorial Donations can be made to: The American Heart Association or Beacon of Life All-Inclusive/At-Home Care for the Elderly, Monmouth County, New Jersey.