Teresa A. Gulati

Gulati, Teresa “Terry” Teresa “Terry” Gulati of Elmira, NY passed away at home on Friday, November 15, 2013 at the age of 81 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 7 at 11:00 AM at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 132 Oakwood Avenue, Elmira Heights NY 14903. Terry was born Teresa Antoinette Davids on August 9, 1932 near Bangalore in South India. She was the ninth of twelve children and attended convent school before moving to Bombay in 1949 to attend the Sir J. J. School of Nursing. She was blessed with self-confidence and a daring spirit to take on life’s challenges. Terry completed her nursing diploma and midwife certification in 1952. She worked as a staff nurse for the Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals in Bombay before coming to St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City in 1959 to pursue advanced training in perioperative nursing. Her continued interest in the operating room took her to Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago the following year. While in Chicago, she met Suresh Gulati, who would become her life-long partner. They fell in love and married in 1961 in the heart of downtown Chicago. In 1962, they moved to Boulder, CO. There, Terry helped put her husband through graduate school by working in the operating room of the local hospital. Terry and her family moved to Corning, NY in 1967 when her husband was offered a research position with Corning Glass. That same year, she began to work in the operating room of Arnot Ogden Memorial Hospital in Elmira. As a mother of three, and while working full-time at Arnot Ogden, Terry enrolled in the nursing program at Alfred University. She received her BSN degree from Alfred in 1980 and then joined the Arnot Ogden School of Nursing as a faculty member in Perioperative Nursing. Terry went on to do graduate studies at SUNY Binghamton and Elmira College, completing her MS in Adult Education from Elmira College in 1984. She retired from the School of Nursing in 1997 after seventeen years of teaching. Terry was a wonderful wife and mother to her husband and children. She loved gourmet cooking and was a world traveler who enjoyed sharing her travel adventures with everyone. Terry was always very active in the community. She helped start the Family Health Center of Elmira in 1983, volunteering her services to provide free health care for the poor, homeless, unemployed, uninsured, and the elderly. She served on the Board of Directors for the Elmira Senior Center, and for many years was an active member of the Elmira Rotary Club. In this country, Terry is survived by her husband, Suresh Gulati, of Elmira; sons Raj Gulati (Wendy) of Elmira, Prem Gulati (Kathy) of Dallas TX, Phillip Davids (Reagan) of Wilmington NC; daughter Sonya Gulati-Brown of Poway CA; grandchildren Tara and Sirroc Gulati-Brown of Poway CA, Samir, Kiran, and Elise Gulati of Elmira; nieces Carol and Angela Pauchard of Horseheads, Jean Davids of West Palm Beach FL, Anna Hoover (Keith) of Corning; and nephew Ian Pauchard of Liverpool NY. She was predeceased by her sister, Patricia Pauchard of Horseheads. Helping others was Terry’s lifelong mission. In recognition of her generous, tireless, and daring spirit, the Teresa Gulati Nursing Scholarship was established as a tribute to her dedication to, and love of, both nursing and education. The scholarship is awarded annually to selected nursing students of the Arnot Ogden Medical Center School of Nursing. Those wishing to contribute toward the scholarship endowment may send their donations to the attention of Susan Rigo at the Arnot Ogden Medical Center Foundation, 555 Market Street, Suite 102; Elmira NY 14901. (Please indicate that your donation is intended for the Teresa Gulati Nursing Scholarship.) Those wishing to sign the guestbook or to send condolences to the family may do so by visiting www.olthof.com