Therese Darline Gallery grew up on St. Patrick Street in Saint John, a girl with red hair, freckles and a big smile. She left St. Vincent’s High School in Grade 10, but later earned her high school degree after completing make-up credits. While still a teenager, she began work as an operator with the New Brunswick Telephone Company.
In the early 1950s, Therese and some girlfriends from New Brunswick migrated to Toronto and settled in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood. There, she met Victor Tossutti, an immigrant from Friuli, Italy. They married in 1963 and had a daughter, Livianna, in 1964. Therese’s career spanned 50 years. She held a variety of secretarial positions in federal and provincial government agencies, and ended her career with Havergal College.
Therese’s legacy lies in the profound impact she had on her daughter’s life and education. She took Livianna to the public library, taught her how to read at the age of 3 and how to research school assignments. She cheered her daughter on at public speaking competitions, high school plays and music concerts. Weekends were filled with visits to parks, zoos and museums. Never having had the opportunity to learn how to swim, skate, ski or sail, she enrolled her daughter in all of these activities. Her dedication to a well-rounded education sparked her daughter’s passion for nature, sports, and culture. Her belief in lifelong learning influenced her daughter’s decision to pursue graduate studies, until Livianna was awarded a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto in 1998.
In honour of Therese’s commitment to education, her family has established a fund in her memory to support the Promise Partnership at UNB Saint John. This tutoring and mentoring program enables university students to help grade school students from priority, low-income neighbourhoods gain the skills they will need to succeed at university.
We encourage you to donate online in memory of Therese. The girl with red hair and freckles would have smiled, knowing that this fund will have a positive impact on the lives of young people from her hometown.
We encourage you to share this page with family, friends and colleagues who may have known Therese (Gallery) Tossutti, and to help honour her memory by making a gift in support of her memorial fund at UNB online or by mail.
Establishing named scholarships, bursaries or other funds is an easy and meaningful way to ensure that you or someone you care about is remembered with a special connection to UNB. Contact us to learn more.
