Theresa "Terry" (Vertente) Nelson, 74, of New Bedford died Wednesday May 22, 2013 at Our Lady's Haven after a long illness.
Born in New Bedford, the daughter of the late Everett and Eva (Firth) Vertente, she lived in New Bedford all of her life.
Mrs. Nelson was formerly employed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner at St. Luke's Hospital in the Oncology Clinic until her retirement. After retiring, she was a hospice nurse for Community Nurse and Hospice Care.
She was a graduate of New Bedford High School and St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing. She was a member of the St. Luke's Hospital Alumni Association.
She was an avid New England Patriots fan and enjoyed traveling. She loved animals, especially her cats, "Miss Frick" and "Mr. Frack."
She is survived by two sons, Gary B. Nelson and Jeffrey A. Nelson and his wife Pam; a sister, Cynthia Francis; her loving companion, James E. "Jimmy" Connors, Jr.; her daughter-in-law, Cindy Nelson; four grandchildren, Erica-Lynn Nelson, Tyler Holdsworth, Aidan Nelson, and Deklan Nelson; a great-grandchild, Camdyn; a niece, Kimberly Green; and a nephew, David Francis.
Her visiting hours will be held on Friday from 4-7 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. Remembrances may be made to Habitat for Cats, P.O. Box 79571, Dartmouth, MA 02747, or Community Nurse and Hospice Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.