Teresa Anzaldua

Teresa Lea (West) Anzaldua, beloved great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, sister, daughter, and dear friend to many, joined her lord and savior on June 17th 2025. She was 75.

Terri was born on December 13th, 1949 in Peoria, Illinois to parents Gwen (Henry) West and her biological father Daniel Yarborough. The eldest of six children, Terri was a loving sister who helped raise her five little brothers, who were witty and fun and often mischievous under the watchful eye of their big sister.

Terri’s early education was at the Noble School, a historic one-room schoolhouse near Cheshire Township, Michigan. It was there that she met one of her closest friends, Diane. Their friendship was complimentary, like Yin and Yang. Terri was lady-like and quiet, while Diane would challenge her to teeter outside her comfort zone. Little did they know then that their friendship would last the rest of their lives.

Many of Terri’s classmates would also eventually become family, as the majority of the students were from the West and Kaylor families. She graduated from Allegan High School with the class of 1968. Shortly after graduation she married Daniel Kaylor and began growing her own wonderful family.

Terri spent several years as a homemaker and focused on raising her three beautiful children: Danielle, Sarah, and Ahren. She developed a multifaceted and diverse skill set as she pursued a career that included many years at the Harding’s grocery store in Allegan, where customers and colleagues knew her as one of the friendliest and happiest employees. She later worked in manufacturing at Perrigo Pharmaceuticals, and was promoted to the Print Shop, where she created packaging and labels for the various Perrigo products.

Terri eventually moved to Kalamazoo, where she scratched an entrepreneurial itch and started an industrial HVAC business. She proudly managed the office and oversaw human resources, bookkeeping and billing, and she was never afraid to handle work on the job site as well. She later moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she continued her education and became a certified nursing assistant. She had a caretaker’s heart, proudly served her patients at CoxHealth Medical Center for many years, and was known for her compassion, kindness, and sweet bedside manner. Sometimes she was able to sit in the nursery at the hospital as well where she loved rocking the babies to sleep.

Terri’s heart shone the brightest perhaps around the holidays. Her love language was food, and no family gathering was complete without her famous potato salad, cookies, or one of her lovingly made homemade cakes. Sarah fondly remembers baking cookies with her mom, and delivering them to cousins and other family members. One year, Terri surprised Danielle with a Holly Hobbie cake, a perfect masterpiece, only for Sarah to trip and tumble into it moments before it was served! It became one of many cherished stories, the kind that still brings laughter after all these years.

A mix of class and comedy, Terri held herself with a certain grace and poise, famously reminding her children, “We might be poor, but we can have class.” When her son helped himself a bit too freely at a neighbor’s party, she quickly remarked to her friends, “I did not raise him like that!” She had high standards, but a quick wit that made her all the more unforgettable. Terri also never showed up empty-handed to any gathering. Whether it was her pineapple upside-down cake or another signature dish, she brought something to every occasion, not just because it was fun for her to do so, but because doing so was the proper thing to do. She’d even, without fail, offer her seat to anyone who entered the room.

Through the years, Terri’s life was full of adventure, and misadventures – especially with cars. It seems every car they owned would break down when Terri was behind the wheel. One caught fire at a red light; another lost a wheel while going down the road; and in one especially memorable incident, the door of her rusty car flung open mid-turn, sending her daughter tumbling out the side. These chaotic moments became the stuff of family legend.

After retiring from nursing, she moved back to Portage, Michigan to be closer to family and to spend precious time with her littlest grandchildren, who affectionately called her “Grammy” and loved her dearly. Grammy was deeply involved in their lives, often spending time with them after school, attending their sports events to cheer them on, joining family dinners, and loving on them as only a grandmother can. She always let them open gifts early, because she couldn’t wait to give them and she couldn’t wait to see the smiles her gifts would inevitably bring to their faces. Time spent with her grandchildren was pure joy.

For the final chapter of her career, Terri proudly braved the extremes of Michigan weather to work as a crossing guard for the local school district, ensuring the safety of neighborhood children as they walked to and from school. All of her charges knew “Miss Terri,” who offered them warm smiles, hugs, and silly jokes, while the kids would often tell her interesting stories about the things they learned and did that day.

Terri was proud of her children beyond words. Her greatest with was for them to have more than she did – more love, more joy, more opportunity. Her unconditional love, sweetness, and unique spirit will forever be missed, but her stories will be told for generations.

Terri was preceded in death by her mother, Gwen West; her biological father, Daniel Yarborough; her brother, Nathan “Nate” West; her sister-in-law, Paula M. West; her niece, Nadine West; and her aunt, Marian George. She is survived by four brothers: John West, Bob West, Ben West, and Tim West, all from Allegan. She is also survived by her children: Teresa Danielle Allen of Issaquah, Washington; Sarah Jane Kaylor of Kalamazoo; and Ahren Maxwell (Aja) Kaylor of Portage; and her grandchildren: Levi Hedberg of Allegan, Asher Hedberg of Issaquah, Washington, Emersyn and Reid Kaylor of Portage; and her great-grandchildren: Eli and Carter Hedberg of Allegan.

Terri would want to be remembered for her empathy, gentle spirit, sharp wit, sense of wonder, curiosity, and genuine love and kindness for everyone she met. She would always offer her seat to others, and she thoroughly enjoyed bringing a wonderful dish to pass during family gatherings. The sudden loss of our Mom and Grammy is devastating, which is a testament to how deeply we loved her. She leaves a legacy of grace, class, beauty and selflessness that all of us will carry forward.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the immediate family to cover the costs for her services and administer her estate, or making a gift in her name to the Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center to support the children of Allegan County who have experienced abuse or neglect. If you would like to help the family with service costs, please Venmo Danielle Allen @Danielle-Allen-198.

A Memorial will be held Sunday, August 3rd, from 3-5 PM at the Parkview Hills Clubhouse, 3707 Greenleaf Cir., Kalamazoo. Terri loved bright, pretty clothes and shoes. If you feel inclined, please honor her as such. Celebrate Teresa’s life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on her dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com. Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900.