Theresa Saporoschenko of Carbondale

Theresa Saporoschenko, 91, of Carbondale passed away Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Shawnee Senior Living in Herrin.

Theresa was born Dec. 28, 1932, in Kalush, Western Ukraine, to Anton and Rosalia Czmil. She was in a refugee camp, where she learned to speak German to help her family. She later moved to Chicago with her parents and married Mykola Saporoschenko in January 1960 in Chicago. They were married for 65 years until his passing Oct. 21, 2020.

Theresa is survived by her daughter, Melanie; son, Andrew; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Mykola; and brother Marion.

Theresa made Carbondale her home with her family in 1964. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from SIU. Also, she served as a head of the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for several years. She was a long-time parishioner of St. Francis Xavier Church. She enjoyed gardening and cooking.

Funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Carbondale with Father Robert Flannery officiating. Burial will follow at Oakland Cemetery in Carbondale. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of service at the church. A video of the funeral mass will be on the funeral home website (meredithfh.com) after the service. In lieu of flowers, donation to NAMI at nami.org/about-nami/donate-to-nami are requested.

Meredith Funeral Home in Carbondale assisted the family with arrangements. To leave a story or memory of Theresa, visit meredithfh.com.