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This webpage is an humble dedication to the loving memory of my
father, James Ray Terry, Sr., who passed on with the greatest of
dignity on October 31, 2005. His life is commemorated here for all the
many great things he did in his whole life. He was loved by everyone,
and everyone that knew him loved him right back. He was the leader
of the family, and now he has led the way for us to Heaven!
(Run your mouse's pointer over each picture for a description of them.)
Dad,
I love you so much and you will always be in my heart, thoughts, and
soul. I know you love me because you always hugged me and let me
know that you love me as you did my mother, my brothers, and all of
our kids and their kids. You were such a loving father that way, and
you were the best father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all us
kids could ever have. You were able to live to see James Ray Terry,
the fourth and that was a great accomplishment among many of your
other accomplishments in your life! You were in the Army, a US Marine,
a Deputy Sheriff, and you were also known as the greatest diesel truck
mechanic in the Southeast! But first you were a loving son, brother,
husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather! We knew that you
cherished mom and us kids in a way no one else could, and I am so
thankful that you were my father, and no one else was. You kept me in
line. I know that you love everyone around you because you have
always had such a heart of gold, and now you walk the streets of gold.
Your cousin, Hazel reminded me last night that you have now seen your
beautiful mother, Eva Keener Terry again for the first time in 70 years,
who died so young when you were only two years old. You were able to
keep her memory alive for us kids, and we knew her through your loving
memories of her. You are also with your father, whom we were lucky
enough to know and we always called him "Daddy Johnny". If you see
Aunt Ruth there with you, please tell her we loved and missed her over
the years also.
Yesterday and today, there were so many wonderful people who knew
you and Mom that came to see you and give your family their
condolences, because you both have touched their hearts in some way
throughout the years. That is in both of your natures. You even touched
my husband Michael's heart, because he, too, has cried for you as we
all have these past few days. Michael told me that he was so glad he
got to know you and he was so respectful of you and admired you
greatly and that he thought you were so intelligent and such a great
man. We all knew you were a great man, destined for greatness.
I feel so lucky that you were my dad, because you and Mom taught us
kids the best morals and values. You genuinely cared for us, and you
always made sure we knew about God and Jesus. You were always
humorous, and never let me live down how when I was a little girl of
about 4 years old, you and mom took me to a zoo and I began
speaking with this minor bird that talked and you were so taken with
my carrying on a real conversation with it. When he asked me my name,
I seriously said "Marilyn Renee' Terry" in that little girl voice. You
always loved telling that little story and it made you laugh, and I loved
it, too just because it made you laugh. My mother, my brothers and I
love you breathlessly and respect you tremendously and we have great
memories of you. You were our Superman. You were strong, so honest,
and loved your country and the American Way. You loved your
hometown, Whitwell, and I am so honored to have this heritage here,
even though I wasn't born here.
I am having a very hard time though letting you go, because I am
being selfish. I never wanted you to go, ever. When I hear John's voice
on the phone, I will at first think it is you as I have these last few years,
because he sounds just like you! I will still sometimes think you are in
Mom's office from time to time. At least your spirit may dwell there now,
since that is where you took your last breath. I wish I could still come
to you for your advice and opinions. But Dad, I know you have been
suffering so much with your health and if it could have made you better,
I would have given my life for you. I know you are now in the best
place you can be this moment, no more suffering. You even passed on
with dignity in your chair, the way we all want to go.
This past couple of years I had a hard time understanding, which I
think others did, also, that you were always jokingly saying that you
always wanted to put your cowboy hat and leather boots on, polish
your belt buckle, pack your lasso and saddle up your horse, and go to
the Pecos. Well, we know now, that you were The Last Great Cowboy
succeeding John Wayne, and after riding off into the Western Sunset,
YOU HAVE GONE TO THE PECOS, and I now realize that the Pecos
to you is HEAVEN! We'll meet you at the Pecos in the mornin'!!!
Tomorrow, November 4th, we are going to help you to celebrate your
grandson, Michael Brandon's birthday for you, because you shared it
with him for 20 years. It is your birthday, too, and he is your Birthday
Buddy. You will be there in all our minds and in spirit.
Bye for now, dad! Hope to see you again soon! Don't worry; we will
take very good care of Mom for you. We all miss you already, your
brothers and sisters and their families miss you, and Mom's sisters
and brother and all their families miss you. Level Shooter your horse
misses you, and Pilgrim your dog misses you!
Thanks for being my Dad!
With the most loving and cherished memories, as you always said I
was your fav-o-rite daughter by your first marriage, i.e., your only
daughter by your only marriage,
Renee'
Forever and ever, amen
(Read by his daughter Renee' at his funeral service on November 03, 2005)
Many of the family and relatives who came to Dad's Funeral in the picture below. If
you just want to say 'hello' or you have any pics that you would like to be here to help commemorate Dad's Life, you can Click Here to email a jpeg or gif to me.
(Breakfast at Shoney's in Kimball, Nov. 04, 2005)
Counterclockwise from Left to Right:
My brother, Mom and Dad's #2 son, John Terry, his wife, Marsha; Our Mom and also
Dad's wife, Jan Terry; Mom's sister, Aunt Peggy; Cousin Wendy's daughter, Heather;
Mom's oldest sister, Aunt Lucille; Across the table from Aunt Cille is my brother and
who is also Mom & Dad's oldest son, Jim Terry, II and his wife, Laura sitting next to
him; Mom's baby sister Aunt Sharon is standing next to her daughter Wendy (unseen)
and behind Laura; Mom's baby brother Uncle Harold is sitting next to his daughter
Annette; and I am the one (Renee') taking the picture and you can see my husband
Michael's head (otherwise unseen) next to me.
My dad was quite the health food person and he was very healthy when he was young, however in the
last 5 years since he had Congestive Heart Disease, he was always looking for so many things to make
him feel better. The doctors did admit that his attentiveness to the other products he used such as the
'Health Alert' products, ie. 'Supertonic' and 'Cardio plus', prolonged his life a couple of years longer than
they had expected him to live. Dad just died at the age of 70, right on Halloween around 4pm, right in
my mother's real estate office sitting in the nice, comfortable chair that he had always taken a nap in
everyday at 4pm with his legs crossed. Mom had been on the phone with a client when she heard a
gurgling sound, and then she rushed over to help Dad and then she just couldnt get him to respond.
She immediately called 911 and my brothers, then me, and we all rushed right over.
Bless his heart, his suffering was over. For the next 3 1/2 hours after that in mom's office he sat in
the chair with his legs crossed as if he were only napping and all the family and many relatives came
rushing into the office as soon as they heard that Dad had just then passed away. There must have
been at least 50 or more people in and out of there. It seemed bizarre for awhile, all of us staring at
him and crying, hoping he would actually awaken, but we knew it just wasnt possible. It took so long
because the only coroner near our little town of Whitwell, TN, for miles around couldnt get there to
pronounce him dead for at least those 3 1/3 hours. We all finally decided that he went the way we all
want to go, just falling off to sleep, sitting in a chair, and it gave us extra grieve time with him, still
able to hug him and tell him our goodbyes.
He was the best father anyone could ever have. For the last year or so, my dad kept saying he was
gonna jump on his horse named 'Level Shooter', who was the great-grandson of 'Secretariat', and ride
to the Pecos! Now we know why he said that. On that day, Halloween 2005, this 'Last Great Cowboy'
succeeding John Wayne, polished his horseshoe belt buckle, put on his black cowboy hat and leather
boots, his Country and Western shirt and bluejeans, then jumped on his horse and rode out to the Pecos,
and we now know that the Pecos to him was "Heaven"!!!
God, I miss him so much. I know that I was so lucky that I had my wonderful dad for 50 years, but I am
so selfish. i never wanted him to die, but we all saw how he suffered so much for the last 5 years he had
been so sick, even on a list for a heart transplant, but we know he is so much better off now. He has his
young, handsome body back walking and talking in Heaven with his young, beautiful mother who died
when he was only 2 years old.
Dad's birthday was Nov. 4, which was the very next day after his funeral service. He even shared a
birthday for the last 20 years with my nephew Mikey, his grandson who had turned 20. Dad would have
been 71. We had a very nice birthday party for Mikey's sake, knowing Dad's spirit was looking down on us.
Now, when I visit his gravesite, I place my hand on his grave, and I can just feel that his spirit's hand is
coming up from underneath the ground to touch mine to comfort me. All his memories right now are
comforting me, remembering all the hugs as he hugged all us kids and Mom. We know he loved us all,
and so many loved him right back. His gravesite is in the same cemetary where his mother has rested
for the last 69 years and it is also in line just a stone's throw away from Mom and Dad's horsefarm. His
horse 'Level Shooter' was seen looking on while we had the funeral service, and his dog 'Pilgrim' has
been seen a few times visiting his resting place since then. They sure loved him, too.
Cheers,
Marilyn Renee' Hill (Nov. 30, 2005)
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Jim & Jan Terry
