Theresa Mary (Mangan) Dokus, age 88, of Burlington, formerly a longtime resident of Winchester, passed away peacefully on December 4, 2020. Born in Jersey City, NJ, she was the daughter of the late Maurice and Theodora Mangan. She was raised and educated in New Jersey, where she obtained her professional secretarial certification.
Theresa loved the Jersey Shore and Asbury Park, and met the love of her life, Edwin Anthony Dokus, at a dance there. They married and started their family, and in 1967 his engineering career took them to Winchester, Massachusetts, where they raised their kids and became dedicated members of the Winchester community before moving to Burlington, MA in 2003.
Mrs. Dokus worked as an executive secretary, as one of the few working mothers during that time. In her spare time, Theresa enjoyed country music, ceramics, and could be found lending a hand on the stage sets of plays with the Winchester Unitarian Players. She enjoyed playing bingo, and, unknown to many, was also a proficient yodeler. Theresa was a lifelong lover of animals and was able to give a forever home to her beloved cat, "Edwina", through adoption at the Northeast Animal Shelter.
Everyone who knew Theresa commented on her kind and sweet personality. She always made sure to tell people how much she loved them and how wonderful they were. Her big message to everyone as she got older was: “ENJOY YOUR YOUTH!”
Theresa is predeceased by her late husband Edwin Anthony Dokus who died in May, 2020 and survived by her 3 children: Ronald Dokus of Littleton, Margaret Curran and husband Jay Curran of Duxbury and Maureen McGurl and husband Bill Mcgurl of Burlington. She is also survived by seven grandchildren Alexandra Dokus, Samantha Dokus, Kyle Dokus, Teagan Curran, Delaney McGurl, Kylie McGurl and Kelsey McGurl.
Mrs. Dokus will be privately laid to rest at Wildwood Cemetery in Winchester on December 10th. In lieu of Flowers, donations in Theresa’s memory can be made to the Northeast Animal Shelter, 347 Highland Ave, Salem, MA 01970 or at www.northeastanimalshelter.org