West Columbia- Theda Mae Derrick Addy, 82, left to rejoin her husband, beloved sister and parents on April 25th, 2021, after a long illness.
Born on May 21, 1938, the lifelong West Columbia resident was a 1956 graduate of Brookland Cayce High School and member of Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church. A former legal secretary, Theda loved country music, fishing and movies that made her cry. She enjoyed collecting angel figurines and dolls, feeding birds and wildlife, cooking delicious Southern meals, and spending time with her husband, four children, six grandchildren and her sister and brother-in-law and their children.
Theda was tenderhearted, introverted and shy by nature. She was raised in a loving if somewhat chaotic home, the youngest of two girls adored by her parents, Mary and Clyde Derrick. She spent her childhood riding bikes and playing with dolls and dogs in and around her father’s barbershop and her mother’s fruit stand. She was a teenager when she fell in love with Earl Addy, a soldier from Gilbert, and they married when she was just 19. She became a mom at 20, and by her mid-20s had three daughters - Karen, Pam (Cutter), and Gina (McKelvey). A few years later, she welcomed son Kevin. Throughout her children’s wonder years, Theda delighted her kids with magic tricks, consistently encouraged them to do their best in school and treat people with kindness, and took them to church every Sunday. She always welcomed their friends into the home, cared for many stray animals, and spent countless hours making sure the fridge was filled with sweet tea, home-cooked leftovers and lots of delicacies that people now pay a fortune for in specialty shops. When grandchildren came along, she spent thousands of hours babysitting them so their parents could work and run errands. Although she also worked for many years and made friends in her job as a secretary, Theda’s life was always firmly centered in her home.
Theda is survived by her children, grandchildren Adam (Susana) McConnaughhay, Lara (Max) McEachern, Garrett (Sarah) Cutter, Skyler Addy and Carson Addy. She was preceded in death by her husband and her granddaughter Georgia Leigh Crick.
A Graveside service will be held on 1:00 p.m. Thursday, April 29, 2021 at Mt. Hebron UMC, 3050 Leaphart Road, West Columbia, SC 29169. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to PAALS at www.paals.org, or JDRF at www.jdrf.org or a charity of your choice.
The family would like to thank Rev. Matthew Greg for the comfort her brought to Theda in their discussions about life, God and heaven in the final months of her life.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelations 21:4-5a.
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