Mary Teresa Horras, known affectionately as Teresa by all who loved her, peacefully completed her earthly journey on April 26, 2024, at the Prestige Care Center in Fairfield, IA. Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at St. Joseph Catholic Church near East Pleasant. Burial will be in the Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, IA immediately following. A celebration of life will follow the burial beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the Baker’s Dozen Venue Barn in Batavia, IA. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2024, at the Cranston Family Funeral Home in Fairfield, IA with the family present to greet friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Memorial contributions in Teresa’s honor may be directed to St. Jude Childrens Hospital (stjude.org). Friends may leave online condolences at www.cranstonfamilyfuneralhome.com.
Mary Teresa Horras was born in Brighton, Iowa, on December 29, 1932, to the late Joseph and Dorothy Kurtz Sobaski. Teresa’s early years and education began at Penn #9 one-room school through the 8th grade. As a young woman, she embraced her spiritual calling at Ottumwa Heights College, preparing for a life of service as a nun. However, love charted a different course, and she found her lifelong partner in Dennis Horras. Their marital vows, exchanged on November 23, 1955, in East Pleasant Plain, began a relationship that lasted over 57 years. The Horras family planted their roots on a farm north of Fairfield. Teresa and Penny Horras co-founded the Teddy Bear
Gift House, which blossomed into a community staple, employing fifteen women in the art of teddy bear creation and spreading joy far and wide.
Known for her green thumb, Teresa was instrumental in maintaining the family’s truck patch which was one of the first in the area. She not only cared for her family but lovingly nannied for others as well. Summers were a special time, with the farm becoming the gather place extended family, as Teresa taught the simple joys of fishing and cherished moments in nature.
Teresa is lovingly remembered by her children, Mike (Judy) Horras of Brooklyn Park, MN, Pat (Bette) Horras of Fairfield, IA, Gene (Anita) Horras of Windsor, CO, and Denise (Glen) King of Carol Junction, MO; her five grandchildren, Ben Horras, Brad Horras, Melissa Bressler, Alexandra Bicanovsky, and Spencer King; five great-grandchildren, Owen Horras, Logan, Ryder, and Lennon Bressler and her brother, Henry (Beverly) Sobaski. She also leaves behind her special friends and caretakers, Jessica Koch, Carla Fleig, Amy Scotton, Patsy Simmons, and Carol Johnson, as well as her friends at the Riverside Restaurant.
Apart from her parents, Teresa reunites in paradise with her husband, Dennis; her infant sons, Tommy and John; and her siblings, Bernard, Leo, and Jossita. Her legacy will live on in the hearts of her family and the many friends she made along the way.
Pallbearers: Mark Witte, Chris Horras, George Horras, Lundy Anderson, Darrin Wiggens, and Doug Horras
Honorary Bearers: Lee Cobb and Dakota Fields
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