Terri Lynn Castleberry's Obituary
Services will be private. Below are words written by Terri's son, John D'Orazio, about his mother's life.
My mother, how do I sum this up?
As a kid, she grew up in South Baltimore. Terri was one of three kids whose family owned a neighborhood bar (Disco South/Clement St. Café). As a teenager and young adult, she tended bar for the family business. Growing up she lived for the holidays, picking crabs, sailing down the Chesapeake, and going to the beach with her family. In 76, she graduated from Southern Highschool and enrolled at a local community college which she attended for two years. While tending bar at Disco South, she met my father. Soon thereafter they were married and started a family. During this time my mother was diagnosed as being Bipolar and really marked the beginning of her struggle with alcoholism. As time went on it was mutually decided that my parents should separate.
By 86 she was also diagnosed as being Diabetic. Within a couple of years, she managed to remarry (Bill Volmer), and move to Virginia. For the first year in Virginia, she still struggled with alcoholism. By the time I was in 5th grade she found herself in a good place in life. She was a stay-at-home mother, making crafts, attending craft fairs, and taking me to baseball games. Over the next 5 years it was probably the happiest I ever saw my mother.
While I was in 10th Grade, around 2am we heard someone banging on the front door. It was the State Police to notify us that my Stepfather was involved in a fatal tractor trailer accident in Northern Virginia. From this point forward my mother was never able to again gain control of her life. I continued to live with my mother for the next few years in Virginia. After a few years of trying to help my mother, I decided to move on and start my own life. She soon relocated back to Baltimore, where my Grandfather attempted to help her, but she refused to acknowledge that she had a problem. My mother’s struggles only intensified to the point where she ended up in a halfway house. She seemed like she was finally getting the help she needed; however, this couldn’t have been anything further from the truth. One morning she was rushed to the hospital because she was in a Hypoglycemic coma. This coma lasted for about 2 weeks. When she came to it was clear that the coma had caused irreparable brain damage. From this point on my mother would live out the rest of her days in a Nursing in North Baltimore.
Terri Lynn Castleberry 5/6/58 - 5/27/21
She is survived by John, Kelly, Camden, and Skyler D’Orazio.
Rest in Peace Mom!!!!
I will always remember the walks to Riverside Park to cool off in the public pool and bugging you endlessly for a Yoo-hoo from Lucky’s.
What’s your fondest memory of Terri?
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Share a story where Terri's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Terri you’ll never forget.
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