Theresa Cole Shupe

Theresa “Terry” Cote Shupe, loving wife, mother, and nana, passed from this world to be reunited with her husband and friend of 67 years. Coy and Terry Shupe were rarely apart. Their remarkable love for one another had been forged from nearly seven decades of togetherness. Their shared journey of living life, raising a family, and growing old together had rendered them inseparable. Terry (Coy called her Tess) was preceded by her husband Coy Daniel Shupe, Sr. “the love of her life” only a short while ago. Those who were close to them knew Coy and Terry would refuse to be apart for very long, and on May 24, 2023, Terry found her way back into the arms of her loving husband.

Terry was born Monday, December 18, 1933, to Joseph and Evelyn Cote, and grew up with her brother, Joseph “Skip” in Fall River, Massachusetts. After high school, Terry earned her diploma in nursing from ST. Anne’s Hospital. While serving as a nurse, Terry’s prayer of meeting a “Southern Sailor” was answered when she met Coy, a southern boy from Virginia, who was serving in the Navy. This story was one that might have been played out on the big screen in a 1940s Bing Crosby movie. They were married on Thanksgiving Day in 1955 and were blessed with four children and a small house in Somerset Massachusetts. In 1972 they moved to the small town of New Castle, Virginia, and together, lived a rich life, in a community that adored them, with a family who loved them dearly, and where they would touch the lives of so many people.

Those who call her mom; daughter, Marlene VanDyke (Clay) and Joyce Bowman (Artly); sons, Coy “Chip” Daniel Shupe, Jr. (Rhonda) and Joseph “Joe” Shupe (Cindy).

Those who call her Nana; grandchildren, Gwen Donithan (Roland), Shaun VanDyke (Gerri), Justin VanDyke (Sarah), Megan Glass (Nathan), Maggie Evans (Sterling), Seth Bowman, Jordan Noel (Sean), Joshua Shupe (Amber), Coy Daniel Shupe 3rd, and Kalena Shupe; great-grandchildren, Daileigh Donithan, Marcus Donithan, Conner Donithan, Shaun Clay VanDyke, Zoie VanDyke, Gunner VanDyke, Elaine VanDyke, Magnolia Shupe, Finley Noel.
Terry was preceded in death by her mother, father, and her husband.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at the John M. Oakey & Son Funeral Home in Salem, VA, with Pastor Don Brown officiating. Interment to follow at Sherwood Memorial Park. Family and friends may visit from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.

Online condolences may be expressed by visiting www.johnmoakey.com/.