Hey everyone, I am his daughter. I know this thread is 2 1/2 years old but I felt the need to let you know that your kind words for a man and his family that most of you never knew are a great comfort even now. Thank You all from the bottom of my heart.
The actual cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. It happened when he lost his footing and fell. We used to joke and call him a tank on 2 feet but we soon realized how fragile that tank was. When my mother and brother, the one that Krash met, got to the hospital in SC, the doctor told my mom that he had no brain activity all night long. About 2 hours later she made the decision to pull the plug. I think she would have held on except he had told us many times if anything like that ever happened he did not want to be kept on a "damn machine". So at 9:35 AM he was officially gone.
My daddy and I were never close, I was not "daddy's little girl" but he was my daddy and I still miss him reminding me to get the oil changed, air up the tires, and tinkering around in the garage or the yard.
My dad thought he didn't have any friends but as many drivers that showed up on Christmas Eve to say goodbye to him proved differently. Everywhere I turned were Kroger and ABF drivers and Teamsters he'd known for years. Some of the Kroger drivers I hadn't seen since I was a kid. But they still remembered me and told me stories of the Terry they knew, who wasn't a whole lot different from the one we knew.
He was known for his Papermate pens and his calculator. He was quirky and smart and sometimes annoying but I guess that's what daddies do.
My mom and I used to ride with him before my brothers were born. They taught me math and my ABC's while going down the interstate in the truck. I grew up on the road and in truckstops and learned how to talk on the CB as soon as I could speak. My handle was Little Gem, his was Diamond Turtle and my mom was Diamond Lady. I could tell you how to get to Raccoon Valley from GA and OH by the time I was 4 and it's all because of him. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
Little Gem

Those memories are worth a million !

Great Story. Condolences go out to You and Your Family!! God Bless

A dad is hard to lose whether you were close or not. We should be able to out live our parents. I miss my dad alot.

We really should try to come to terms with our parents while they are still around. Give them some extra points because they are your Mom and Dad.