COLUMBUS
Tessa Anne Musillami Mayer’s confirmation verse was “Be Thou faithful unto death, and I will give Thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Surrounded by her family, Tessa received her crown of life on February 8. Tessa was born on February 17, 1973, to Mike and Ruth Musillami. She was baptized on March 11, 1973, by Pastor Eldon Brandt. Also baptized at that service was Amy Pankow, who became her lifelong friend. Tessa died at home of metastatic breast cancer on February 8, 2023, surrounded by people who love her.
During her preschool years, her family lived in Germany (where the seeds for adventure and travel were planted) and Bloomington (where her love for IU and basketball was instilled). When Tessa was four, she and her parents welcomed her brother and lifelong supporter Robert. She attended St. Peter’s Lutheran School. In addition to excelling academically, she participated in Girl Scouts, 4-H, Donner Swim Club, and volleyball. But her true love was basketball, and she was the MVP her 7th and 8th grade years. She was confirmed at St. Peter’s in 1987. Tessa then attended Columbus North High School, where she lettered in both basketball and track. She graduated in 1991 in the top 15% of her class. Indiana University was her next step; She received a B.A. in Special Education in 1996. She thoroughly enjoyed college life and also pledged to the Sigma Kappa Sorority, where she met her other lifelong friend Stephanie Williams.
After graduating from IU, Tessa moved to the Houston area and taught special education. She was commended by her administrators and colleagues for her compassion for special children and her skill and patience at helping them achieve their goals. She earned an M.S. in Instructional Technology from the University of Houston in 2002. As a Texas transplant, she learned to two-step, attend rodeos, and sit in fields of bluebonnets. Here she met the love of her life, James “JP” Mayer. They were married at Faith Lutheran Church in Columbus on July 1, 2000. Tessa and JP were blessed with two children, Ruth Anne, a junior at lU, and Jackson Emmitt, a sophomore at Columbus North.
In 2013, the Mayer family moved to Columbus, where Tessa continued her teaching career at Jennings County High School, Columbus North, and with her school “family” at Southside Elementary School for six years. Even though she taught school for a total of eighteen and a half years, her all-time favorite job was working at the family restaurant, Musillami’s Drive-In. She carhopped through high school and college, and she managed shifts as an adult. She thrived on working under pressure and hearing nice comments from customers
Tessa had many pastimes. She grew up watching and attending IU basketball games. Even while she lived in Texas, she found other IU alumni to help cheer the team on. She treasured a personal message of encouragement from Steve Alford that she had received. Tessa loved to travel. Her passport is full of stamps from Germany, Italy, Austria, Luxembourg, Latvia, Russia, Mexico, and the Bahamas. Her absolute favorite vacations involved locations with beaches, where she loved to dig her toes in the sand, collect shells, and enjoy tropical drinks. Tessa loved adventure. She snorkeled in Cancun, scuba dove in Cozumel, skied in Germany, rode horses in the surf, camped in Utah’s national parks, and kayaked the Salmon River in Idaho. She enjoyed eating and was always game to try new cuisines and restaurants. Among her favorites were Cajun, Italian, and Asian, but her absolute favorite foods were pizza burgers and fries.
She enjoyed driving her Jeep Wrangler. No automatic shift for this girl! It was always a joy to drive it in the summer with the roof down and doors off. Tessa was always an animal person. She loved her black pugs, Xena and Gabby, as well as her Chug, Toad.
Tessa is survived by her husband JP; her children Ruth Anne and Jackson; her parents Mike and Ruth; her brother Rob Musillami; her sister-in-law Carmella; as well as nieces Sophia and Adrianna. Her Texas family includes her parents-in-law Gary and Ruth Mayer; her sister-in-law Jennifer Feutz and her husband Andrew; her niece Jaycee, and nephews Luke and Nate; her brother-in-law Jeff Mayer, his wife Cherie, and nieces Sophia and Eliana. She also leaves behind her dearest best friends, Amy Pankow Patterson and Stephanie Williams Kazanas. She was preceded to eternal life by her grandparents Robert and Olga Behrman and Jasper and Helen Musillami.
Tessa’s family would like to thank the health care professionals who gave her such wonderful support the last few months: Dr. Amanda Dornfeld and her nurse Megan; Journey North’s home health care Jenny, Tiffany, and Tammy; and hospice nurses Jennifer and Sara. She and her family were spiritually supported by visits from Pastor Tim Carter and Pastor Channing Kearney.
Visitation hours for Tessa will be Tuesday, February 14 from four until eight at the Jewell Rittman funeral home. On Wednesday, February 15, visitation will be at ten with the funeral service officiated by Pastor Mark Teike at eleven. Burial will be at St. John’s Lutheran Church Cemetery at White Creek with a graveside service led by Pastor Channing Kearney.
Memorials may be made to Metavivor, which funds metastatic cancer research; Columbus Regional Health Foundation Mammography Assistance Program, which offers free screening for people without insurance; or the donor’s choice of charities.
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