Terry R. Anderson

Terry R. Anderson, loving Husband, Daddy, Grandpa/Papa, Brother, Uncle, Cubs Fan Extraordinaire and Friend to many, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, August 18, 2024, with his family by his side.

Born in Salt Lake City to Royal Andrew and Leah (Leak) Anderson on February 13, 1947, Terry learned to ride a horse before he could walk as his parents made frequent trips to the family farm. Throughout his childhood, he was very precocious and found lots of fun ways to challenge his parents. He was a member of the first “all” Skyline High School graduating class in 1965. After graduation, Terry enlisted in the United States Army. He proudly served his country during the Vietnam War as a Range Radar Operator. He would later go on to receive his degree from Utah Technical College of Salt Lake.

In 1969, Terry was set up on a blind date by friends and met the woman he immediately knew was the one he would marry, his beloved Margie. Terry was full of ideas and his spontaneity convinced Margie to elope to Elko despite wedding plans already in motion. They made the drive along with a friend and his wife, but once they arrived Margie said, “I can’t go through with this, my dad will kill me!” So, they turned around and went back home. They would officially marry at Sacred Heart Church on May 9, 1970, in the presence of family and friends and would continue to be lifelong partners recently celebrating their 54^th wedding anniversary.

Terry enjoyed outdoor activities such as fishing and playing team sports, so his only child, Danielle, became his tomboy partner in crime. He coached her youth softball team for several years and taught her how to hunt for nightcrawlers in the backyard before going fishing at Deer Creek. Terry loved sharing his vast knowledge with his “Little Girl” from stargazing the night sky while identifying the constellations to later years mentoring her on how to do multiple home repair DIYs.

Terry found his true passion of being a business owner doing exactly what he loved; fixing things. He was highly experienced in most repair projects including plumbing, electrical, carpentry and HVAC. In 1990, he opened TerMar Maintenance & Home Repair, and happily served his customers for over 30 years making many lifelong friends. If anyone called after hours with a furnace or plumbing issue, he would jump to get it fixed since he wanted to make sure they remained comfortable especially in inclement weather. One of his mottos was, “Do it right or do it twice,” so customers knew they could count on him for quality service and a job well done.

Terry was an ultimate fan of Chicago Cubs Baseball from the time he was 5 years old. No matter the result of the season, he was true to his team and could rattle off player stats like nobody’s business. When the Cubs won the World Series for the first time since 1908, he proudly hosted our watch party where we all cheered out loud and flew our W Flag high. Also a fan of U of U Football, he never wanted to miss a play, so he had every TV and radio in the house tuned to the game and proudly shouted, “GO UTES” after a touchdown.

Family was everything to Terry. He gained a son when Danielle married John, and he instinctually knew John was a great addition to his family. They shared many conversations about their military service, attended the air show at Hill Air Force Base and watched sports together.

His two grandchildren were his pride and joy: Mitch called him “Grandpa”, while Sydney called him “Papa”. He often took his grandson, Mitch, (age 3) wearing a TerMar work shirt that was made special to match his, to Johnstone Supply and Home Depot to meet his colleagues and buy parts for jobs, but mostly to show off his grandson. In later years, he arranged his work schedule to never miss any of Mitch’s baseball or football games. The TerMar business name lives on. Mitch paid tribute by naming his own company, TerMar Utah, LLC, Delivery and Transportation.

Granddaughter, Sydney, “Baby Doll”, was always by his side. She wrote endless love notes to him, and he kept them all. Together they would go shopping for treasures including small appliances, and fuzzy socks to add to their collections. They had a common love of The Twilight Zone marathons and would watch together as often as possible. The two shared the same dry sense of humor, love of ice cream and talked or texted about everything going on. He also taught her how to master his iconic facial expressions and Papa-isms.

Terry was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was proud when asked to present the lesson in Priesthood and made sure the content had value to all. He enjoyed the friendship and community of his fellow ward members from both neighborhoods.

Terry is survived by wife Margie, daughter Danielle (John), Grandson Mitchell (Jacquie), granddaughter Sydney, great-grandson Rowen, brother Robert Anderson (Jill).

The family invites you to reminisce and honor Terry to share at his wake on Saturday, September 28th from 5pm-7pm at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Millcreek, UT 84106. Guests are encouraged to use parking and entrance located on the north side of the building. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Salt Lake City VA Hospital, in Terry’s name.