Teresa May Vasko

Lyndonville, VT: Teresa May Vasko, age 81, of Fairway Lane, passed at her home with her beloved husband and daughter there, Monday, October 26, 2026, following a long decline from Alzheimer’s disease and the last five weeks on hospice care.

Teresa was born on May 7, 1945, in Lyndon, VT, daughter to the late Homer C. and Elizabeth (Gardner) Johnson and grew up on the Back Center Road, across the street from where she later lived for over 50 years. She graduated from Lyndon Institute in the Class of 1963 and matriculated at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, MA, where she earned her BA in Mathematics in 1967. Teresa met John Vasko while in Boston and they married on September 21, 1968. After living and teaching in Hanover, MA and later moving to PA, where she taught for several years at Turtle Creek, the couple settled in Lyndonville in 1973. There she found a job with the Lyndon school district, where she taught for over 30 years, including part-time for several years while raising a young family.

Teresa loved math and cared about her students, incorporating both creativity and practical life skills into her lessons. She led the MathCounts competition team for many years, taught summer school, tutored students outside the classroom and mentored other teachers. She was twice chosen as a candidate for the presidential award for excellence in teaching, once in 1985 and again in 1988 when she was one of the top three candidates overall. Teresa retired in 2007, but continued to stay involved through Delta Kappa Gamma, an International Women's Organization that promotes excellence in teaching. An active member since 1989, she held various roles including President, Treasurer and song leader.

Teresa was a longtime member of the Lyndon Center Baptist Church, though she did attend the Lyndonville Methodist Church for several years. She held roles including junior choir director, senior choir director, Sunday school teacher, vacation Bible school craft director, and floral arranger. Teresa had a beautiful soprano voice, singing in college and church choirs, as a church soloist, at many weddings and funerals, and often times in the car and around the house. She continued to sing in church and along with recorded music at home, even until very recently.

Teresa loved to sew, crochet, origami, and make cards using iris folding techniques and later using paper punches and stickers. She taught these crafts to just about anyone who wanted to learn – in school, at church, at the Cobleigh library, to friends, neighbors and family – and enjoyed learning new crafts as well. She crocheted scrunchies by the dozen for children in Guatemala and donated crocheted Teddy Bear outfits for Lyndonville Fire & Rescue. She decorated her daughter's wedding venue with white crocheted carnations and more than once crocheted a pair of mittens for each student in her class.

Over the years, Teresa walked up and down the Back Center Road thousands of times, both for fitness and to pick up trash, becoming a natural ringleader for annual Green-up Day. She encouraged others to be healthy and fit by leading local Weight Watchers meeting and teaching Bone Builders classes in the community. In retirement, she volunteered at the Pines Rehabilitation & Health, where her father lived out his final years with Alzheimer’s disease. She also volunteered regularly at the Tourist Information booth, where she was able to share her deep knowledge and love of the Northeast Kingdom with others. Teresa once received a National Grange Community Citizen Award in recognition of her outstanding community service and in 2015 the Caledonian Record spotlighted her volunteer work and community involvement as part of their “Making a Difference” series.

She is survived by her husband of 58 years, John J. Vasko, of Lyndonville, her daughter: Cynthia Vasko Clark and husband, William, of San Leandro, CA, her son: John Joseph “JJ” Vasko, currently of Madagascar. She was predeceased by her brother: Glen Johnson.

There will be no calling hours at this time. A Memorial Service will be held on May 1st at the York Street Meeting House and interment will take place at the Lyndon Center Cemetery with Pastor Joel Stoddert officiating.

Memorial Donations may be made in Teresa’s name to Caledonia Home Health & Hospice, 161 Sherman Drive, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819.

Memories and condolences may be shared to Guibord-Pearson & Sayles Funeral Home for the family at www.guibordfh.com