Obituary of Theresa Puluka

Theresa R. Puluka, 93, a life-long resident of Tobyhanna, died Saturday, October 31 at the VNA Hospice House of Monroe County in East Stroudsburg. Theresa was born in a Tobyhanna boarding house for the Pocono Ice Company, now a part of the Tobyhanna State Park. She was the daughter of the late John and Anastasia (Kapcala) Puluka. She graduated from Coolbaugh High School and from Sacred Heart Hospital Nursing School in Allentown in 1939. Theresa worked at Rosenkrans Hospital in East Stroudsburg from 1940 to 1944. From 1944 to 1947 she was employed at the Tobyhanna Air Material Command. She worked as a surgical nurse in the operating room at several Veterans Hospitals including Bath, New York and Wilkes-Barre, PA. In 1953 she was transferred to the Tobyhanna Signal Depot, now the Tobyhanna Army Depot and retired in 1972 after 29 years of service. A member of St. Ann's Church, she was also a member of the St. Ann's Ladies Guild and the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. Theresa loved to crochet and especially loved working outside and gardening. She is survived by her nephews and caregivers; Merton Quick and his wife Patricia of Tobyhanna, and William Puluka of Old Forge, and many other nieces and nephews. She was preceded by three brothers, Andrew, John, and George, and four sisters, Anne Mary, Julia and Helen. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, November 4 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Ann's Church, Main St. Tobyhanna. Interment will follow in St. Ann's Cemetery. There will be a visitation at the church from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Ann's Church, PO Box 188, Tobyhanna, Pa. 18466 or the Coolbaugh Historical Association, 5550 Memorial Boulevard, Tobyhanna, Pa. 18466