Theresa (Tess) Salustri

Our beloved daughter Tess has gone home. She was a fighter. At only 5'3" tall, she showed the grit of a heavyweight champ, and did so for 16 years of health issues. And more often than not, she did so with a smile (and often an off-color joke) so as not to worry her parents. When struck with an early, hampering disease, she vowed to become a flight attendant to "get off this couch." And so, she served at Piedmont Airlines. She was also, in her time, a swim coach, a health-club tech and a farm volunteer. She also had extensive retail experience, as a model and salesgirl for Abercrombie & Fitch/Hollister, and as store manager at Pier 1 Imports. When she set her sights on a goal she achieved it.

Most of all, though, Tess was Love. She was Loyalty. She was a CBGB aficionado and a social sparkplug, and when she walked into a room, it was as though a light had been flicked on. Now the light is off, and she is at peace.

"I could have told you, Vincent: This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you."