Gordon Merrill Terry

Gordon Merrill Terry, age 87, resident of Oakland, Tennessee and husband of Mrs. Helen Terry, departed this life Friday morning, May 3, 2019 at his residence.

Funeral Services for Mr. Terry will be conducted at 11 A.M. Monday, May 6, 2019 at the Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland with Bro. Carl Doyle and Bro. Stan Smith officiating. Personal remarks will be given by Mike Atkeison and Mr. Terry’s granddaughters, Elizabeth Hegman and Kayli Webb. Special music will be given by Austin Carroll and Casey Childs. Interment will follow in the Fayette County Memorial Park Cemetery on Highway 64. A visitation for Mr. Terry will be from 3 to 5 P.M. Sunday, May 5, 2019 at the Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland.

Gordon was born October 27, 1931 in Somerville, Tennessee, the son of the late Shelton Berry Terry and Emily Lenora Foote Terry. He was a graduate of Fayette County High School Class of 1949 and University of Tennessee at Martin. He was married March 8, 1959 to the former Ada Helen Mathews and was the owner of a concrete contracting company for many years before his retirement in 2008. Gordon was a member of Somerville First Baptist Church and enjoyed farming, cows, gardening and flowers.

Mr. Terry is survived by his wife of 60 years, Mrs. Helen Terry of Oakland, TN; two daughters, Mary Terry Webb (Mike) of Bartlett, TN, Priscilla Terry DeGutis (David) of Collierville, TN; his son, Thomas Merrill Terry of Oakland, TN; his brother, Ronald S. Terry of Memphis, TN; his brother-in-law, L.D. Beard of Eads, TN; seven grandchildren, Trip Gilchrist (Ariel), Terry Gilchrist Childs (Casey), Dan Gilchrist (Stephanie), Kayli Lenora Webb, Helen Elizabeth DeGutis Hegman (Andrew), Jason Webb (Shannon), Michael Webb; and seven great-grandchildren, Jackson Gilchrist, Eli Gilchrist, Carsten Smith, Colin Gilchrist, Waylon Childs, Adalynn Webb and Ayden Webb.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Betty Jean Terry Beard.

Those honored to serve as pallbearers will be Jeff Terry, Trent Terry, Murray Beard, Trip Gilchrist, Dan Gilchrist, David Beard, David DeGutis, Mike Webb, Andrew Hegman and Casey Childs. Honorary pallbearers will be Simon Crawford, Terry Ewell, Porter Hart, Mike Atkeison, Ronnie Seaton and Kevin Ledford.

The family requests that memorials be directed to Somerville First Baptist Church, 12685 S. Main Street, Somerville, TN 38068 or St. Jude Memorial Giving, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.