Ronald Dwight Terry's Obituary
Services for Ronald D. Terry will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at Rader Funeral Home Chapel in Longview.
Mr. Terry was born the son of Dwight and Cleo Terry on March 13, 1935, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was blessed to be raised with two loving sisters, Patricia Terry Prater and Paula Jane Smoke. Ron shared a modest home with his parents and beloved aunts, who preceded him in death; Etha, Edie and Lois Terry.
Ron was a proud 1953 graduate of Webster High School in Tulsa, and he has attended annual class reunions for many years, maintaining lifelong friendships. He just celebrated his 58th reunion two weeks ago. After his graduation, Ron enrolled in the University of Oklahoma and attended school for one year before volunteering for the U.S. Army. He served in Germany in the 510th Tank Batallion from 1954 to 1956.
He returned to the University of Oklahoma in 1956. On June 13, 1958, a momentous day in Ron's life, he married the love of his life, Lelia Von Anderson, at the Sharon Baptist Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma. They shared 53 wonderful years together.
Ron was a lifelong Oklahoma Sooner fan and graduated from the Price School of Business at the University of Oklahoma, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1960. At OU, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
A natural-born salesperson, Ron made his career in the steel industry, making friends and customers all over the United States. He worked for Friedman Industries in Fort Worth for 23 years, then transferred to Longview in 1972. Ron retired from sales in the mid '80s and became a full-time rancher, spending many happy years raising cattle and working on the farm with Lelia.
Preceding Ron in death were his grandparents, his parents and one sister, Paula Jane Smoke.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Lelia Terry; son, Ronald D. Terry Jr. and wife, April, and their children, Zachary, Soren and Haley of Houston, Texas; daughter, Patricia Von Clark, husband Lavon and son, Alex; son, Lindsay B. Terry and wife, Cindy, children Zac and Brooke, all of Longview.
Ron is also survived by his mother-in-law, Vera Anderson of Shawnee, Oklahoma, and sister, Patricia Prater of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Also surviving are a host of nieces and nephews and very special friends, including B.W. Dykes, Tom Wakely of Tulsa, Oklahoma and Charlie and Nancy Parker of Gilmer, Texas.
Ron will always be remembered for his razor-sharp wit, his ability to make friends instantly and to find humor in almost every situation. He will be greatly missed and always loved.
Memorials may be made to the Longview Cancer Center or the Gregg County Humane Society.
Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. today, May 31, 2011, at the funeral home.
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