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Theresa Siler
In Memory of
Theresa Gordon
Siler (Gordon)
1940 - 2017
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Obituary for Theresa Gordon Siler (Gordon)

Theresa Gordon  Siler (Gordon)
Theresa Gordon Siler died October 28, 2017, surrounded by her family. She was born to Theresa Gulliver Gordon and Edward Dudley Gordon on October 12, 1940 at Farnborough Hospital, Kent, England, as it was bombed during the Blitz. The War, with the following years of rationing and rebuilding, shaped her outlook: compassion for those facing greater challenges than she, intolerant of complaint, with gratitude for one’s blessings. She was a hard worker who knew how (and when) to have a good time.
As was the custom, Theresa finished school at 15. Her mother accompanied her to her first job interview in London. Beginning as a file clerk, she advanced to become private secretary to the CEO of a large London insurance broker.
Theresa met her future husband, Robert F. Siler (whom she would never call Bud), through a mutual friend when he was working in Naval Intelligence in London. They married May 13, 1967. During their courtship and early married life they embraced the opportunities and vitality of 1960s London. They were transferred back to the States soon after the birth of their first child, and moved to Franklin in 1975 after Robert finished law school. After Theresa’s children were grown she started her own travel agency, Spirit Travels, in Franklin and Highlands.
Theresa was a superb pianist, who entertained with the party pieces of her childhood, in the bands of her youth, and at her innumerable parties at West Main Street. She was talented at doing things with her hands, and dissatisfied with anything less than perfection: sewing, knitting, gardening, and, after retirement, basket weaving. Her compassion made her the nurse of choice for numerous family and friends on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as for her grandchildren, for whom she would drop everything to nurse through an illness.
Theresa was fiercely loyal, intensely private, and direct. She loved dancing, the theatre, the green of England, the ever-changing beauty of Saldeer, wit, a good period drama with a handsome leading man, and a fire in the fireplace, regardless of outdoor temperature. She despised vulgarity, bad manners, insincerity, and iced tea.
Theresa is survived by her husband of fifty years, Robert; her children, Lucy Siler and William Siler, and William’s wife, Melissa, all of Charlotte, NC; grandchildren, Jacob Siler, Alexander Siler, Bennett Snelsire, and Tess Snelsire; and siblings, Rob Gordon, of Norwood, Ontario, Canada, and Ann Darrington, of Eynsford, Kent, England.
In celebration of Theresa’s life, the family will receive friends on Friday, November 3 from 6-8 pm at Macon Funeral Home, 261 Iotla Street, Franklin. Her funeral service will be Saturday, November 4 at 2 pm at St. Agnes Episcopal Church, 66 Church Street, Franklin. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to the Fred Siler Scholarship Fund, 443 West Main Street, Franklin, NC 28734, which enables deserving Macon County students to attend college.

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