MIDDLETON, WI–Teresa Marie “Teri” Pabst, age 64, of Middleton, Wis., died on July 7, 2025. Teri was the embodiment of love in every way. She was born on July 7, 1961, in Olivia, Minn., as the eldest child of Joseph and Loralee (Bresson) Reiter. She grew up in Olivia and New Ulm, Minn., graduating from New Ulm High School in 1979. She completed a bachelor’s degree in education from College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., in 1983. Teri started dancing from an early age – a passion that she continued through high school.

Many family memories with her brothers and parents were made at the cabin on Big Kandiyohi Lake outside of Willmar, Minn. That was where her love of the outdoors blossomed as she spent time water skiing, ice-skating, cross-country skiing, and canoeing. Any time of year, she found ways to connect with God’s creation by being on a lake, hiking, gardening, or simply going for long nightly walks with the love of her life.

Teri married David Scott Pabst on May 14, 1988, in Willmar, Minn. They met at church and started their life together in Baldwin, Wis., and then Hudson. Dave and Teri shared an unwavering commitment to each other over 37 years of marriage. Family time meant camping, bike rides, or working on house projects. Teri poured herself into homeschooling her three girls. Each day with her was magical and her children rarely left her side. Her greatest joy was watching her children and family grow, later with the addition of her two boys. With every fiber of her being, she crafted a home and family filled with warmth, compassion, and generosity.

Another passion outside of her family was caregiving for the most vulnerable people in society, at nursing homes and group homes for disabled adults. Teri had a special gift to see the value in every person. In recent years, she jumped wholeheartedly into special education in the Middleton and Madison school districts. Her love for her grandchildren was unmatched. She would drop anything to be there for them, and she treated each like the most precious gift she had ever been given. Teri lived her life by caring “for the least of these” and she is now dancing and celebrating in heaven.

Teri was accompanied in death by her beloved, David; and son, James. She is survived by her parents, Joseph and Loralee Reiter of New Ulm, Minn.; children, Lora (Tom) Horgen of St. Paul, Minn., Danielle (Drew Gough) Pabst of Cross Plains, Wis., Heidi (Mark Phillips) Pabst of Plymouth, Minn., and Martavous “Noah” Pabst of St. Paul, Minn.; brothers, Dan (Sandy) Reiter of New Ulm, Minn., and Todd (Amby) Reiter of Pinehurst, N.C.; seven grandchildren, Holden, Natalie and Ivy Barlow, Aurora and Magnus Horgen, Aylah Phillips, and Juliette Lewis; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Teri and David will take place at BLACKHAWK CHURCH, 9620 Brader Way, Middleton, Wis., at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025. A visitation will take place at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 2950 Chapel Valley Road, Fitchburg, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, July 18, 2025, as well as the two hours prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Burial will take place in Hudson, Wis., at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to a GoFundMe in support of Thoreau Elementary Special Education or National Alliance on Mental Illness-Wisconsin. For more information and online condolences, please visit www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson Fitchburg Funeral & Cremation Care 2950 Chapel Valley Road (608) 442-5002

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