Obituary of Theresa Lyn Corless

Theresa Lyn Corless, affectionately known as Cory, passed away on May
27th, 2024 in the town of Newmarket, Ontario. She was born on September
30, 1946 to Theresa Constance Durling (nee Martin) and Albert Llewellyn
Durling in the city of Toronto. Cory (Theresa) was a person who enriched
the lives of all those around her. She was a kind hearted, warm loving
person and dedicated to her loving husband and life partner Andrew V.
Paganin whom she met in 1988. She is survived by her brother-in-law
Dennis Paganin, niece Holly and mother-in-law Dina Paganin. Other
family members pre-deceased include brothers Russell and Gordon
Durling, and sisters Charlotte and Shirley.

Cory (Theresa) went to Northview Heights Secondary School in
Willowdale where her parents resided after moving from Toronto. There
her friends commonly called her Terry. She was a student of very high
academic abilities and achievement and therefore graduated high school
earlier.

Her passion for Latin and Ballroom dancing led her way into a career
in the arts. After receiving many awards for her talents, Cory became a
professional teacher leading others to their own dance goals.

Her capacity for choreography and music interpretation brought her
even greater rewards. As a teacher, she designed and developed programs
and teaching techniques that also applied to other subjects and these won
her acclaim from other professionals in the fields of education, health and
community services.

Cory further displayed her communication skills through written
works and manuals, presentations, poetry, compositions and lyrics.
Cory worked for a number of different studios over the years including
“Arthur Murray’s,” “Fred Astaire’s” and eventually her own studios
including “World of Dance” and “The School of All Creative Training.”

She was affectionately referred to as Ms. Choreographer, which
eventually got abbreviated to Ms. Cory and hence the name Cory became
her identity.

Part of her skill set led her to New York where she was annually hired
as an adjudicator for a number of international dance competitions. She
further worked as a volunteer guest hosting on a number of Labour Day
Telethons where she worked alongside such Canadians as William Shatner
and Paul Anka.

In the 1970’s, with her business partner Bob Sousa (nephew of
American composer John Philip Sousa), Cory created and started a new
trend in the industry known as dancercise. This new idea in exercising
took off quite immensely and a number of studios popped up in both
Canada and the U.S. offering this new idea.

Later on in her developing business career, Cory expanded into other
ventures where she created “Hylane Productions.” She began working on a
number of different artistic ventures. Among her many talents included
both writing and painting. She wrote and copyrighted a book in 1987
entitled “The Key, The Theory of Omphalosity”, a book dedicated to
defining true unconditional love.

In 1990, Cory and Andrew opened Sound Strokes Studios Recording
and Production House in Markham, Ontario. The two of them combined
their talents writing a number of songs and producing for others. Together
they worked on numerous aspects of musical production and then further
expanded into music education as well. In 1993, the two of them left their
mark in the industry by winning a songwriters award for the song, “I’ve
Been Through It All.”

Cory’s presence will be greatly missed by many people who have
come to know her as the wonderful loving and talented person she truly
was.