Theodore W. Testa

Ted led a life filled with compassion and a tireless commitment for the mentally ill. He was a respected teacher and leader in behavioral health services in the Illinois counties of Lake, DuPage and Cook. Ted served on many professional boards throughout the Chicago area, as well as nationwide, with attention to suicide prevention, drug dependencies and veteran assistance.

Ted attended St. Eulalia Grade School, Broadview and graduated from Fenwick Preparatory High School, Oak Park in 1967. He received his BS in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago and went on to earn an MBA in Marketing/Finance from Dominican University. He received a MA with Honors, and a PsyD in Clinical Psychology with Honors from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Ted was a devoted fan of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls and University of Notre Dame football. He was so excited when the Cubs won the World Series he thought he was having a heart attack! Ted enjoyed music. He learned to play the accordion as a child and loved playing the piano. An avid reader, he enjoyed history, biographies and fiction. Ted also appreciated the arts, especially Native American art which he enthusiastically collected.

Ted leaves his loving wife Maria Schwartz, his brother Louis Testa (Jackie), nieces Jennifer Heatherly, Keira, Leila, Kaia Heatherly, Jamie Testa, Julia Testa and nephew Joe Testa (Savannah). He will be missed by cousins Mary Jane Spudeas, Penny Spudeas O'Neill (Tom), Christina Spudeas, and Louis Spudeas. Ted was preceded in death by his mother, Christina Testa (née Spudeas), father, Joseph Testa and cousin Dorothy Spudeas Raffin (Rick).

This is Me Letting Go by Heidi Priebe

To love someone long term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be. The people they are too exhausted to be any longer. The people they grow out of, the people they never ending up growing into. We so badly want the people we love to get their spark back when it burns out, to become speedily found when they are lost. But, it is not our job to hold anyone accountable to the people they used to be. It is our job to travel with them between each version and to honor what emerges along the way. Sometimes it will be an even more luminescent flame. Sometimes, it will be a flicker that temporarily floods the room with a perfect and necessary darkness.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Theodore's memory may be made to Healthwell Foundation, 20440 Century Blvd, Suite 250, Germantown, Maryland 20874 US, HealthwellFoundation.org.

Interment Friday, October 4, 2024, at 10:00 AM at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 7750 West Cermak Road, Forest Park, IL 60130.

Info 708-442-8500 or www.woodlawnchicago.com