Teresa Mary Mascenik

Teresa Mary Mascenik, 43, of Durham, NC passed from this life on July 10, 2024, leaving bereft her parents Thomas and Mary Mascenik, her siblings Dan, Peter and Colleen, their spouses, nine nieces and nephews, and many friends and colleagues.

She was a graduate of Salem Academy in Winston-Salem, NC and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She studied art at the Lorenzo de’Medici Institute in Florence, Italy. Her fine work in photomicroscopy at the Marsico Lung Laboratory at UNC combined biological research with her artistic talent. During the COVID pandemic, her stained image of SARS-CoV-2 infected epithelial cells, collected from healthy human bronchi, was featured on the cover of the journal Cell.

She was an avid pet lover and was devoted to her three dogs: Roxy, Max, and Clementine. She enjoyed helping build a neighborhood garden and making friends at the Scrap Exchange in Durham. Her easy athleticism made her a beauty to watch, whether as a soccer goalie, a snowboarder, or a one-wheeler around town. She was known for her compassionate nature and her adventurous spirit. She will be missed by all who knew her.