I met Teri in 1986 after joining Mensa. I came to deeply appreciate her intellectual curiosity, her emotional intelligence and willingness to explore ideas without judgment.
She encouraged me to take a turn at editing the Mensana. I am glad I did, because I would have denied myself that experience if not for her encouragement.
Over time, we built a space that was as free from judgment as is humanly possible, where we could dissect ideas without the pitfall of conflation with identity. Any idea worth holding deserves deconstruction and reassembly; that’s one of the places growth comes from.
She had a lot of constructive and well-considered observations that made me realize we had turned in a similar philosophical direction based on our individual experiences, and had come to similar conclusions about many aspects of life. She accepted me without judgment, and it became a long friendship with depth and a comfortable cadence.
I experienced her as caring deeply for others while being scrupulously committed to decency and veracity, and in doing the right thing to the best of her ability. She was compassionate and empathetic to a fault, too often more forgiving and supportive with others than she was to herself.
We both loved wordplay, bad puns, and gallows humor, and we were enthralled by our increasing certainty that the central operating principle of the universe appears to be paradox, not reason.
We laughed well and often.
Teri, I will miss you deeply, and as I continue my journey through this life, I will bring with me and freely share the best parts of you, which you graciously gave to me.
Teri Diana Prentiss (Marie)
1951 – 2026
Teri Diana Prentiss (Marie) passed away on Friday, August 14, 2026.
The family is being cared for by Amigone Funeral Home, Inc. – Delaware Chapel.
https://www.legacy.com/person/teri-diana-prentiss-(marie)-62124702