Obituary

Obituary for Jasper Wayne Terry: He was named after his maternal grandfather, but family and friends knew him as ‘Wayne’.

The 4th of 6 children, Wayne was born in Bakersfield, California, in August of 1943. His parents were Malcom Loyd and Mable Alice (King) Terry.

In his youth, his activities primarily involved working on the farm(s) that his parents managed and attending school. As a result of his upbringing, he never shied away from hard work or getting his hands dirty.

He graduated from Delano Joint Union High School in 1961, after completing the Industrial Arts Curriculum, and not long after, enlisted in the Army, departing for basic training in March of 1962. His first assignment was in Korea, and while stationed there, he worked in a tank retrieval unit. After returning stateside, he worked on the Nike Missile Systems as a Launcher Control Repairman at Fort Sheridan in Illinois. He was honorably discharged from active duty in March of 1965 and returned to California but continued as a reservist until 1968.

Wayne was married twice. His first marriage was in 1966 to Maria Prado. They welcomed a son, Wayne Loyd ‘Junior’, in December that same year. His second marriage was to Patsy (Patti) Jones in 1975. They met after he relocated to Greeley, Colorado. Patti had a daughter by the name of Catherine (Cathi) when they got together and he readily accepted her as his own. A couple of years later, in 1977, their family of four grew to a family of five when they became proud parents to their son, Justin. Patti also often looked after her niece, Codie Jones, and Codie was loved and considered as much a part of the family as their three other children.

Wayne always had a gleam in his eye, a hint of mischief, and he got a kick out of getting a rise out of people. It usually involved using colorful language which never failed to evoke a reaction. However, he generally used restraint when in mixed company.

Early on, some of the things that Wayne enjoyed were hunting and fishing, shooting pool or playing poker, listening to classic country music, or watching an old western on TV (especially one featuring The Duke, John Wayne). Later in life, hosting a BBQ for friends and family, traveling with his wife to Branson in their RV, and deep-sea fishing replaced some of his earlier interests, but nothing came close to his enthusiasm for NASCAR, not even professional football. From the first race of the season to the last, he lived and breathed NASCAR, an interest he shared with his brother, James.

He was also a successful businessman. After working for several years in the refrigeration/HVAC industry, Wayne became a business owner. His first company was C&D Services. He later purchased General Heating and Air and ran the company for well over 25 years.

Wayne is survived by his son, Wayne Terry (and his wife, Alyson) of Fort Collins, his daughter, Cathi Guerrero (and her husband, Corey) of Aurora, his three sisters, Virginia Cowart, Mary Caldwell, and Sharon Pritchett (all of California), five grandchildren and one great grandchild. He is preceded in death by his parents, his son, Justin, his sister, Carol, his brother, James, and his wife of 46 years, Patti.

A graveside service to honor his life will be held on the 7th of March at 1 pm at Linn Grove Cemetery. A reception will immediately follow (from 3-5 pm) at the Greeley Active Adult Center. All are welcome.