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MIDDLETON -Teresa Marie Pabst, age 64 of Middleton, Wis., died on July 7, 2025. Teri was the embodiment of love in every way.

She was born on July 7, 1961, in Olivia, Minn., as the eldest child of Joseph and Loralee (Bresson) Reiter. She grew up in Olivia and New Ulm, Minn., graduating from New Ulm High School in 1979. She completed a bachelor’s degree in education from College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., in 1983.

Teri started dancing from an early age - a passion that continued through high school. She danced ballet, tap, and jazz and had countless dance costumes that later became dress-up clothes for her daughters. In high school, she played flute, was on the pom pom squad, and taught dance classes. Many family memories with her brothers and parents were made at the cabin on Big Kandiyohi Lake outside of Willmar, Minn. That was where her love of the outdoors blossomed as she spent time water skiing, ice-skating, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and canoeing.

You’ve never met a person who loved being outside in the winter more than Teri did. It was never an option to stay cooped up inside - she had boundless energy to tramp through the snow in snowshoes, cross country skis, or pulling a sled. Any time of year, she found ways to connect with God’s creation by being on a lake, hiking, gardening, or simply going for long nightly walks with the love of her life.

Teri married David Scott Pabst on May 14, 1988, in Willmar, Minn. They met at church and started their life together in Baldwin, Wis., and then Hudson. Dave and Teri shared an unwavering commitment to each other over 37 years of marriage and took great care to nurture their union and family. Family time meant camping, bike rides, or working on house projects.

When the couple made the decision to homeschool their three girls, Teri poured herself into her natural role as an educator. Each day with Mom was magical and her children rarely left her side. Teri’s greatest joy was in watching her children and family grow, later with the addition of her two boys. With every fiber of her being, she crafted a home and family filled with warmth, compassion, and generosity.

Another passion outside of her family was caregiving for the most vulnerable people in society. In high school, she spent much of her time as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home. She then cared for disabled adults for many years, both in group homes and in her own home. Teri had a special gift to see the value in every person and truly love them for who they were. She was trusted by many families to care for their loved ones as if they were her own.

In recent years, she jumped wholeheartedly into special education in the Middleton and Madison school districts. Her coworkers and her school children were her second family. She also raised maltipoo puppies that she would find special family homes for.

No matter how busy she was, she could always find a moment to make you feel special. She would always pick up the phone for anyone, especially her children. And her love for her grandchildren was unmatched. She would drop anything to be there for them, and she treated each like the most precious gift she had ever been given. Teri lived her life by caring “for the least of these” and she is now dancing and celebrating in heaven.

Teri was preceded in death by her grandparents. She was accompanied in death by her beloved, David; and son, James. She is survived by her parents, Joseph and Loralee Reiter of New Ulm, Minn.; children, Lora (Tom) Horgen of St. Paul, Minn., Danielle (Drew Gough) Pabst of Cross Plains, Wis., Heidi (Mark Phillips) Pabst of Plymouth, Minn., and Martavous “Noah” Pabst of St. Paul, Minn.; brothers, Dan (Sandy) Reiter of New Ulm, Minn., and Todd (Amby) Reiter of Pinehurst, N.C.; seven grandchildren, Holden, Natalie and Ivy Barlow, Aurora and Magnus Horgen, Aylah Phillips, and Juliette Lewis; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Teri and David will take place at BLACKHAWK CHURCH, 9620 Brader Way, Middleton, Wis., at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025. A visitation will take place at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 2950 Chapel Valley Road, Fitchburg, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, July 18, 2025, as well as the two hours prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Burial will take place in Hudson, Wis., at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to a GoFundMe in support of Thoreau Elementary Special Education or National Alliance on Mental Illness-Wisconsin. For more information and online condolences, please visit www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson Fitchburg

Funeral & Cremation Care

2950 Chapel Valley Road

(608) 442-5002

Teresa Marie “Teri” Pabst

July 07, 1961 - July 07, 2025

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