Theresa Waggoner Coltrane

Theresa was born in Belleville, TN on May 11, 1936, to Grace and Jesse Waggoner. She grew up mainly in Shelbyville, TN in the middle of 6 children behind an older brother and sister, and she had one younger sister and two younger brothers.

She was an avid sports fan but particularly loved basketball and tennis. She remembers shooting a ball into a basket with the bottom cut out as a kid. In high school she played on the varsity basketball team all 4 years and was a star shooter with her older sister who thrived on the defensive end of the court. She was awarded a basketball scholarship to Nashville Business College but realizing the other girls were much bigger than her, she decided to forgo playing. Instead, she and a friend moved to the big city of Atlanta and after staying at her aunt’s home for a week, they got jobs and an apartment to share. She worked at Union Carbide and did some modeling on the side.

On Valentine’s Day in 1959, she had a date with a young man who didn’t show up. Her friend, Fran, was having a party and finally convinced her, as she was mad, to come upstairs and join them. She reluctantly went and ended up meeting her husband-to-be, Ray, that night. They began dating right away and were married 5 months later on July 18. Ray was transferred to Greensboro, NC where they lived for a short time before moving to Jacksonville, FL where their two daughters, Laura and Teri, were born. They were married for almost 55 years before Ray passed away in 2013.

Theresa was active with the girls as a stay-at-home mom while also volunteering at school, the American Cancer Society and Meals on Wheels. As the girls got older, she began playing tennis, reigniting her competitive nature from her basketball days. She played for 18 years with her team, winning the city championship two of those years, and at the same time made lifelong friends she was still in touch with until the end.

Theresa loved to antique and dicker for good prices. She and Ray loved boating and fishing and enjoyed a beach home near St Augustine for many years. So many wonderful memories were made there with friends and family. They loved sharing their homes for good times and good food with those in their lives and were generous with both. They enjoyed traveling to Canada, New England, the Western states, Hawaii and the Eastern mountains as well as Ray’s favorite fishing holes in Florida like Crystal River and Lake George. For many years there were trips to TN to visit family as her large family was very important to her.

Her husband, Ray, along with her parents Marian Grace Waggoner and Jesse Waggoner, all predeceased Theresa. She is also predeceased by two brothers, LaJeune Waggoner and Danny Waggoner as well as two sisters Faye Cooper and Jamie Stovall. She is survived by her children Laura C. Riley (John) of Winter Park, FL and Susan Teresa (Teri) C. Baynard of Winter Park, FL; grandchildren Shannon Watson (Will) of Greenville, SC and Brooke Jackson (Troy) of Maitland, FL; great grandchildren John Henry Watson and Virginia May Jackson; brother Phillip Waggoner (Lois) of Fayetteville, TN and sister-in-law Evelyn Waggoner of Shelbyville, TN along with many nieces and nephews.

Theresa was loved by many and will be greatly missed. Her family is very grateful for her good and generously helpful neighbors and her loving and gracious caregivers who allowed her to live in her home during her final months.

A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, October 20, 2024, at 2 pm at the Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home, 7520 Aloma Ave, Winter Park, FL. Please join the family for a reception following the service at the Riley Home, 4090 Scarlet Iris Place, Winter Park, FL.

Anyone who knows her, knows she loves beautiful colors. Please join the family in choosing bright and cheerful colors to wear should you attend her service, instead of traditional memorial attire.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Samaritan’s Purse or Orlando Union Rescue Mission for their Thanksgiving meal as it was her favorite holiday.

For those unable to join the service in person, the family invites you to join via live stream at either link below:

https://youtube.com/live/J-vwlR1c8Vs?feature=share

https://youtube.com/live/vSG0QKcmdJU?feature=share