Theresa Schiavi, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother and great grandmother, passed away in the early morning hours of October 1st, the feast day of her patron saint, Saint Theresa, The Little Flower. She was 88.Theresa was a woman of strong and unwavering faith. She often sought the intercession of Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mother, to guide her and her family through life. She always put the needs of others above her own and exemplified how faith can show the way to peace in this world and the next. She was the perfect wife and mother and always emphasized the good in people, even her husband, Guido.Her service to others started at the age of eleven when she cleaned the floors at the Little Sisters of the Poor in Wilmington. As a child and young adult she attended daily Mass at 6:30 a.m. before school and later before work.She grew up in Wilmington, DE, proud of her Irish heritage, in a family of sheet metal workers during the depression. She inherited a strong work ethic and took jobs at Woolworth's 5 & 10 while attending high school and later Atlas Powder. Her work outside the home paused while she raised ten children, but resumed when she went back to work in the banking industry in order to ensure a Catholic education for all of her children. However, she always felt her most important job was to support her husband, Guido, with whom she raised eight sons and two daughters.She was a member of the B.V.M. Sodality, volunteered at St. Mary Magdalen School as a lunch mother and helped count the Sunday Mass collection. She served as an officer of the parent association at Salesianum School and volunteered with the Junior Board in surgical waiting at St. Francis Hospital, where all of her children were born.She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Guido; her children Vincent (Mary), Joseph, Guy (Barbara), William, Anthony, Michael, Claire Aiello Schmeck (Kurt), Edward (Ava), Harry (Lorraine), Rosanne McDermott (Paul); her grandchildren David, Nicholas, Kevin, Guy, Erin, Christopher, Amanda, Reade, Jude, Roman, Leokadya, Sean, Jack, Luke, Paul; her greatgrandchild Finley; and her many nieces, nephews and Robyn Thomas. She has joined her parents, Harry and Catherine Grant (McNally) and siblings William, Harry, Michael and Margaret Grant and Kathleen Gumenuk, who have predeceased her. She is survived by her sister, Marie Boggs, her brother, James Grant and her sisters-in-law Mary Lou Grant and Susan Grant.A celebration of her life with a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Mary Magdalen Church, 7 Sharpley Road, Wilmington, DE 19803 at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 6. Viewing will be Friday, October 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Mealey's Funeral Home, 2509 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808.The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor, 185 Salem Church Road, Newark, DE 19713, St. Mary Magdalen Church, 9 Sharpley Road, Wilmington, DE 19803, Salesianum School, 1801 N. Broom Street, Wilmington, DE 19802 or Padua Academy, 905 N. Broom Street, Wilmington, DE 19806.As she used to say to her children: "Goodbye, God bless you and be careful".