Terri Ann Szarowicz, known to those who loved her as Terri, Mom, or Grandma, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 13, 2025, after a courageous battle with breast cancer. She was born in La Mesa, California, on March 15, 1952, and lived a life devoted to family, love, and connection.

Terri dedicated much of her career to office administration. Still, her greatest joy and passion in life was being a mother to her three children—Brandon, Allison, and Melissa—and later embracing her most cherished role as a full-time grandmother to her beloved grandsons, Landon and Hayden. She found immense happiness in watching them grow, sharing their laughter, and offering her endless love and wisdom.

Family was at the heart of everything Terri did. Adopted as a child, she reconnected with her biological maternal siblings, Jan, Tony, and Mike, in her forties. In 2018, she expanded her family even further by discovering and connecting with her biological paternal siblings through genetic DNA testing, an experience that brought her great fulfillment.

Terri was married to Alan Szarowicz since November 1980, sharing over four decades of love and partnership. Though she was a mother to three, her warmth, kindness, and nurturing spirit made her a mother figure to many others throughout her life. She welcomed her children's spouses, Brandon's wife, Kaitlynn, and Allison's husband, Jeremy, into the family with open arms, embracing them as her own.

Even in the face of life's challenges, Terri maintained an unwavering optimism, always choosing to see the good in every situation and offering encouragement to those around her. Her strength, resilience, and positive spirit inspired all who knew her.

Through every season of her life, Terri deeply loved cats, finding joy and companionship in their presence. Among them, her beloved Lucy was her final and most devoted companion, staying faithfully by her side until the end.

A memorial service will be held in the coming months once her family receives her remains and arranges a meaningful ceremony to celebrate her life.

We are profoundly grateful for the love and kindness shown to our family during this difficult time.

Terri's love, generosity, and unwavering devotion to her family and friends will be deeply missed but forever cherished in the hearts of those who knew her.