Theresa Houdek, age 86, of Mahnomen, MN, died on Friday, March 7, 2014, at the Mahnomen Health Center Nursing Home.

Theresa Katherine was born May 19, 1927 in Mahnomen, MN to Louise and Frank Walz. She was the youngest of 10 children. She graduated from St. Michael's grade school in 1941 and Mahnomen High School in 1945. She moved 3 times in her life but never left the block. Theresa was married to her husband Al on June 12, 1950 and bought Emily and Martin Quall's house where they've lived since 1952. Theresa and Al raised 5 children Fred, Peter, Louise "Weezee", Zetta, and Michael all in that house. She was a stay at home mom until all her children were in school and then followed them to school at St. Michael's where she worked as a teacher's aide for 10 years. She moved to Mahnomen Elementary School where she continued to work as an aid for another 16 years until she and Al retired in 1990.

Theresa had 15 grandchildren: Lisa, Hope, Allen, Jessica, Kevin "Bucky", Theresa "Tess", Cory, Tommy, Rachel, Ben, Gina, Becky, Steve, Rod and Joe. She also has 27 great grandchildren.

She has been a parishioner of St Michael's for all of her 86 plus years. She loved life and her family. She enjoyed her morning coffee and late afternoon beer. Sunday after church it was always red beer. She liked a good game of cribbage and going to the casino. Monday and Friday's they made the trip across the alley to play bar bingo. She loved to bet on everything from cribbage, Twins games, Jeopardy, Family Feud, to how long the sermon would be at Church. Theresa also very much treasured the many vacations she and Al took with her sister, Fussy, and her husband, Neon.

She loved to cook and never found a recipe she couldn't change. She had her favorite recipes like "Houdek spaghetti and Tourtie're pie" that have been passed down to many. Theresa is famous for making quilts for people in need and handmade one for each grandchild and great-grandchild. She always sewed a blessed medal in the corner of each quilt to ask God to protect her latest precious little child.

Her and Al always had a big garden and did lots of canning. When you came to visit she always fed you if not a full blown meal it was cookies or cupcakes but you better come to table with a shirt on, no hat and clean hands.

Theresa is also known for her many sayings like "It's not how tall you are, it's how tall you act" and "Only people who do stuff are criticized" or "What you don't have in your head, you have in your feet" and "Say your prayers".

The only thing more precious to her than her family was God and her faith. To end with Grandma's most famous saying… "GOD BLESS!"

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 10, 2014, at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Mahnomen. Visitation will be at St. Michael's Catholic Church on Sunday, March 9th from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., with a Prayer Service beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Burial will take place at St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery in Mahnomen.