A private family service will be held for Terry on Friday, October 30, 2026 at Longview Memorial Park. Friends are warmly invited to share in a reception following from 12:00 to 3:00 at Columbia Height Assemble of God, 3609 Columbia Heights Rd., Longview, WA.

Please direct any donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in honor of Terry’s memory for the children and families fighting Cancer.

Terry passed away following a hard fought battle with cancer. He grew up in Lexington, attending Kelso Schools and fishing the Cowlitz River and hunting the local area. As he got older, he began hunting with friend Tom Chrisitan and his uncle Hap and several cousins. He also enjoyed fishing with his dad and family around the state and on many memorable vacations.

Terry graduated from Kelso High School in 1965 and while there, won an award for the Marine Corp Physical Fitness challenge given throughout the US. Kelso students scored some of the highest in the nation and Terry credited Coach Jim Schall for much of that success.

After graduation, Terry met his future wife while attending Lower Columbia College. They were married in 1970 when he began his job at Weyerhaeuser Co. After settling in the Coal Creek area, the family grew with sons Eric and Aaron. The early years allowed families to join him for dinner at the mill lunchroom and overtime produced “meal tickets” for eating out at local restaurants. It was also during these years that Terry hunted the hills around his home and each year filled the freezer with fresh venison.

The family enjoyed traveling the Western states in the family camper. The epic vacations included fishing Yellowstone with bison napping 50 ft away, Disneyland, oystering at Hood Canal with his parents and hiking the high lakes at Leavenworth, Mt. Rainier, and the Olympic Peninsula. Road trips to Minnesota and Wisconsin were also a treat. No matter where he went, Terry ran into someone he knew which was a constant surprise. As the family grew older, the guys hunted together for elk and deer near their home. Terry loved sports and that translated into watching his sons play soccer, track and basketball.

After the kids graduated and left home, Terry started following local basketball students and attending game and state tournaments and moved on to Tai Chi for exercise. 

Retirement brought more travel to see his children and families in Alaska, Arizona and Minnesota and attending more sporting events locally. From riding horses and razors in AZ to flying in float planes and whale watching in AK, Terry thoroughly enjoyed every adventure. He was always a happy man and never met a stranger. He will be remembered for his smile, laughter and interest in other people.

Terry is survived by his mother, Mable Cole, sister Sandra Hale, wife Debbie, children Eric and Valerie, Aaron and Andi, step-daughter Rebecca and Brad, 4 grandsons, Mason, Camden, Aiden and Brenden. Terry is also survived by his aunts, cousins and many nieces and nephews, and many, many friends.

There are not enough words to thank Dr. Zaho, Dr. Kim and the staff at the Regional Cancer Center who worked tirelessly to give us an additional 2 years. We also thank St. Johns Hospital and the Longview Peace-Health Hospice House for all their care.