Theresa Whittredge, 47, dies of metastatic breast cancer

  Back in the early fall, even as she battled metastatic breast cancer for the second time, Theresa Whittredge pushed her husband Tom to run for a second two-year term on the Saugus School Committee. Tom waited until the end to pull nomination papers, and with Theresa’s blessing, he went on to top the field of seven candidates and continue as chair of the five-member panel.

  On Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25), Theresa Whittredge died at Tufts Medical Center in Boston after a gallant fight with breast cancer. Friends and relatives say she was a great inspiration to others as she fought the disease.

  She was the mother of two children, Brody and Finley Whittredge.

  Theresa and Tom, married for 17 years, were known as the first couple of the Saugus National Little League when Tom served as president. She was known as the First Lady of Saugus Little League. After recovering from her first bout with cancer, Theresa threw out the first pitch of the Little League season in 2018, and league players wore the pink ribbon on the side of their hats, with money raised going to cancer research.

  Theresa was also active with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising money for breast cancer research. She ran the 2018 BAA half marathon with the Ropes & Gray team to support The Jimmy Fund. She was selected as the symbolic race starter because she had beaten breast cancer in her first battle in 2017. She was also active in fundraising efforts for research for both autism awareness and Smith-Magenis syndrome, two conditions that affect her daughter Finley.

  Born in Everett and a lifelong resident of Saugus, Theresa Whittredge was the daughter of Paul Leuci and his wife Cheryl of Saugus and Bonnie Leuci of Revere. She had been an executive legal assistant at Ropes & Gray for 22 years.

  In addition to her husband, children and parents, Theresa leaves her two sisters, Linda Simpson of VA and Patricia Rodrigues of Mendon. She is also survived by many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

  Graveside services were held on Wednesday (Dec. 1) in Riverside Cemetery. The Bisbee-Porcella Funeral Home of Saugus was in charge of arrangements.