It’s difficult to imagine KEILTY without Teresa Gagnon. She joined our firm on November 10, 2007, and for nearly two decades, she was the steady, caring, and fiercely capable heart of our operations. Teresa’s journey with us began humbly, providing cleaning services in our earliest days, but her determination, curiosity, and remarkable sense of responsibility soon made her indispensable. Over time, she became our Building Services Manager, over seeing all housekeeping, repairs, and maintenance operations with a level of care and precision that defined what “good” meant at KEILTY.
When we developed our five company core values more than a decade ago, we built them around Teresa’s example. Each principle we wrote down was tested by a simple question: “Would Teresa’s actions reflect this?” They always did. She lived our values long before they were ever put into words. Read about our core values.
Teresa’s work ethic was legendary. She arrived early, stayed late, and would come back in the middle of the night if someone needed her — a colleague, a resident, or a contractor. Through rain, snow, and heat, she showed up for others without hesitation. She was endlessly curious, always asking questions to understand how things worked and how they could work better. Whether it was an HVAC system, a boiler, or an electrical panel, she wanted to know everything— not for recognition, but to make sure things ran smoothly for everyone else.
Her sense of fairness and courage in negotiations was unmatched. She was a fierce defender of the company’s resources, always looking for savings that didn’t come at the expense of quality or fairness. She reused, repurposed, and reimagined before it was fashionable. Every dollar mattered to her because she understood that efficiency wasn’t just good business — it was respect for the effort of others.
Teresa’s impact extended far beyond buildings and budgets. She cared deeply about the people who lived in our communities. She knew not only our student residents’ names but also their parents’ names. During exam season or difficult times, she would check in, making sure they were eating, sleeping, and coping. Over the years, she helped thousands of young people find a home away from home, celebrating their triumphs and listening when they needed someone to talk to. Many of them graduated not only from school but also fromTeresa’s quiet, daily lessons in kindness, responsibility, and pride in one’s work.
Every August, when our annual turnover arrived and hundreds of residents moved out and in within 24 hours, Teresa’s leadership turned what could have been chaos into a well-choreographed event. She planned months in advance, refining checklists, managing contractors, and even creating a sense of celebration out of hard work. She used to say, “We can turn these units slow or we can do it fast. It costs the same either way, but if we do it fast, our only cost is planning — and planning’s almost free.” Her systems and spirit still guide us through that busy season today.
Teresa believed that “the work’s not done until it’s reported done.”She never left things half-finished or undocumented. That discipline built an enormous trust among all of us — we knew that if Teresa said something was handled, it was handled. She led by example, and she did it with quiet strength, humour, and humility. Her peanut butter Rice Krispie squares, which vanished minutes after she brought them in, were just one of many small ways she took care of the people around her.
I had the privilege of working side by side with her on countless days, through long hours, challenges, and victories. She mentored many of our team members, including me. I’m deeply grateful for the time we shared, for her guidance, her laughter, and the standard she set — a standard that continues to shape who we are as a company and as individuals.
Teresa was a foundational member of KEILTY. She set the tone, the pace, and the spirit for everyone who followed. Her influence will be felt in every system she helped build, in every resident who felt at home, and in every colleague who learned from her.
On behalf of everyone at KEILTY, I want to extend our heartfelt condolences to Teresa’s family and friends. Her legacy will always be part of us — in our values, our work, and our hearts.
A.J. Keilty
Founder & CEO,
KEILTY Realty Management Inc.
