Teresa Marie Del Piero

Sadly, Teresa Marie Del Piero died on March 3, 2026. She has been a resident of the Monterey Peninsula since 1985. A generous member of our community, she was actively involved in a multitude of theater, civic, and cultural organizations. A devout Catholic, she belonged to the San Carlos Cathedral parish. She loved living in Monterey County.

Bright, engaging, and exceptionally kind, Teresa was the oldest of six children to be born to Dr. and Mrs. Caesar (Helen) Aldisert. She grew up in Pittsburgh, PA.

Teresa attended local schools in Pennsylvania. And she excelled in the arts. On the recommendation of her art teacher, she began taking art classes at the Carnegie Museum at a young age. Her art teacher had previously taught Andy Warhol.

Teresa graduated from Mount Lebanon Senior High School where she decided to seriously pursue theater arts. Her first play was Robinson Jeffers' "Madea". Acting became the greatest avocation of her life, and she excelled in that major at Boston University. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1979.

Teresa and her husband, Dr. Eric Del Piero, met on a blind date in Washington, DC when he was attending the George Washington University School of Medicine. In 1979, she got a position with a theater arts company in Sunnyvale and moved to California.

Teresa and Eric were married in 1980, and after he completed an advanced ophthalmology residency in San Francisco, they moved back home to Monterey. They were married for 46 years. Teresa managed their ophthalmology practice, and they worked as a team.

Teresa continued to perform locally on stage and on film as a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG/AFTRA). Nearly 35 years ago, she was a founding member of the Monterey County Film Commission and worked tirelessly as its past Chair to advance filming opportunities in Monterey County. Additionally, she served as the President of the Monterey County Theater Alliance raising funds for student scholarships in the arts and served on the Carmel Art and Film Festival Board of Directors.

In 2012, Teresa received the Champion of the Arts award from the Arts Council of Monterey County and was one of the 2022 Monterey Italian Heritage Society honorees for her lifetime contributions to the arts here. She was also a founding member of the Student Ambassador and Exchange Program of the Slavic American Cultural Organization, raising tens of thousands of dollars sending scholarship students from the Central Coast to Croatia, and she was an active supporter of the City of Monterey's sister city association with the City of Dubrovnik.

Teresa is survived by her husband, Dr. Eric Del Piero; her mother ,Helen Aldisert; her sisters and brothers: Regina Aldisert, John Aldisert, Caesar (Sonya) Aldisert, and Ann (Jeremy) Becker; her numerous nephews and great nieces and great nephew; and all the Del Piero Family.

The family encourages memorial donations to: San Carlos Cathedral Restoration Fund 500 Church Street, Monterey CA 93940; The Monterey History and Art Association P.O. Box 1082 Monterey, CA. 93942: or the Student Ambassador and Exchange Program – Slavic American Cultural Org. P.O. Box 226 Watsonville, CA. 95077. Mehl's Colonial Chapel has been entrusted with the funeral arrangements.

Published in The Pajaronian · March 9, 2026