Dr. Joe Terry
1924-2010

LORAINE – Dr. Joe Terry, age 85, of Abilene and formerly of Loraine and Sweetwater, died Tuesday night, April 20 in an Abilene care center. Services were held Friday, April 23 in the Kiker-Seale Chapel with Rev. Howell Martin and Dr. Phil Christopher officiating. Burial followed in the Loraine Cemetery under the direction of Kiker-Seale Funeral Home.

Dr. Terry was born June 9, 1924 in Belton, TX to loving parents Carey and Zola Cox Terry and had been a resident of Mitchell County since 1950. He married Mary Lou Rankin on August 9, 1948 in Dallas. She preceded him in death on November 24, 1986. He then married Lucille Bell Biers on October 19, 1995 in Sweetwater.  He was a long time physician of Loraine and Mitchell County.

He is survived by three daughters: Susan (and husband, Harold) Preston of Abilene, Elizabeth (and husband, Brent) Howard of Sweetwater and Sonja Nash of Lubbock; four sons: David Terry (and wife, Jerri) of  Hanover, MA, Mark Terry ( and wife, Becky) of Abilene, Scott Terry ( and wife, Brenda) of DeSoto  and Patrick Terry of Portland, Oregon; a sister, Martha Monroe of Grand Prairie; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

He is also preceded in death by his parents, a brother Dan Terry and grandson, Bryan Terry.

Dr. Terry loved classical music and was a trumpet player in high school.  He attended Schreiner Institute in Kerrville for one year on a music scholarship where he was the school bugler and then transferred to the University of Texas in Austin before attending the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston. 

He loved baseball and played semi-professional baseball while in Galveston.  He did his internship at City Hospital in St. Louis, MO and practiced medicine for over 40 years, first in Rule, Texas for about two years, and then in Loraine from 1950 to 1970  and in Colorado City from 1970 to 1989. 

 He delivered more than 3,000 babies during that time.  He was active in civic affairs in Loraine and was a member of the Lion’s Club and served on the Loraine School Board.  He continued his involvement in the medical community for many years following his retirement.  In his retirement letter to Root Memorial Hospital he stated that he was leaving a long time love affair with the practice of medicine.

 He served in the U.S. Navy for two tours during the Korean conflict from 1950-1952 as a medical doctor onboard LST ships.

 He loved his family, reading, writing humorous poetry based on real-life experiences, cooking and his practice of medicine.   After his marriage to Lucille he enjoyed a Mediterranean honeymoon cruise and a vacation to Montreal and Quebec City, Canada.  He and Lucille also attended his 50th year medical school reunion in Galveston and a trip to Avery Island.  During a trip to New Orleans he enjoyed a ride up the Mississippi River on a restored paddle boat.  He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Sweetwater.