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Dr. Teressa Windley Banks, 62, of Washington, passed away on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. A Beaufort County native, she was born March 16, 1958, and lived in Beaufort County the majority of her life. Teressa was a kind, loving and selfless mother, grandmother, wife, friend and colleague.

Teressa was preceded in death by her parents, Nathan and Marina Bishop Windley. She is survived by her husband, Robin Banks; one son, Christopher Banks and wife Michelle; two daughters, Brittany Thompson and husband Josh and Kaitlyn Banks and fiancé Sam Mauldin; and one granddaughter, Lily Thompson.

She attended K-12 school in Bath, received her associate degree from Beaufort County Community College, Bachelor of Nursing from Western Carolina University, Master of Nursing from UNC-Charlotte and Doctorate of Education from UNC-Greensboro. Teressa started her nursing career at Beaufort County Hospital, where she met her husband, whom she married a year later on Dec. 1, 1979. During Teressa’s professional life, she was a nursing instructor and ended her career as a Nurse Aide Educational Consultant for North Carolina Health and Human Resources.

Teressa was a devoted mother and very involved throughout her children’s lives. She was often considered a second mother to those close to her children, and known to them as “Mrs. Teressa.” She was the No. 1 fan for each of her kids. You could always find her on the bleachers or sidelines, coaching or cheering them on during every sports game and competition. She was also involved in their schools with PTO, chaperoned field trips or social events and was elected to the Beaufort County School Board to promote change for her kids’ schools. Teressa encouraged her children every step of the way, whether it was with school projects, presentations, tests, veterinary surgeries or her favorite: proofreading papers. She especially enjoyed her role as “Gaga” for the past three years, as she cherished every minute with her granddaughter, Lily. They shared many memories, watching Puppy Dog Pals (which was always recorded in anticipation of her arrival), going to Shoney’s breakfast and going SHOPPING.

Teressa truly cared for shelter pets, especially her two rescue dogs, Maggie Mae and Mollie June. She always enjoyed sharing her love of shelter animals with others. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Beaufort County Animal Control/Shelter.

A graveside service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, June 13, 2020, at Pamlico Memorial Gardens with Jay Petty, a dear family friend, officiating. The family will receive friends following the service.

Services are by Washington Funeral & Cremation, Hillside Chapel.

The family wants you to know that if there are any grammatical errors, Teressa was not here to proofread it.