Terrance "Terry" William Renick

Terrance “Terry” William Renick, 78, of King City, Oregon passed away suddenly from a cardiac event and into the arms of his Lord Jesus Christ on the Sunday, April 19, 2020. He was very recently widowed, following the passing of his beloved wife Joy Renick, after sharing over 56 years of marriage. Together they had four cherished children: Terry Jr. (wife Michiko), Lori Wood (husband James), Greg (wife Lindsey), and Jennifer Gold (husband Justin). Loving grandpa to Christina (husband Christopher), Kayleigh, Brendyn (wife Katrina), Sarina (husband Kyle), Austin, Christopher, Ryan, Rachel (preceded Terry to eternal life), Gabriella, and Isabella; loving great-grandpa to Luke, Chloe, Zaiden, Alexander, Jade, Mia. Additionally, his life was enriched by his parents, sister, father and mother-in-law (“like my second set of parents”), and many relatives. Generations of loved ones, yet always room for more, he and Joy lovingly “adopted” some longtime “bonus children” to include Steve Brooks & his family (Susan & Aaron), Lori Ares, and Laurel Mueller and were also step-grandparents to Rowan and Mackenzie. Many dear friends and business associates spanning across the United States and overseas – many that are truly close like family, blessedly too numerous to list - yet he could tell you each name and details from investing in their lives and express his appreciation for each one.

Terry was born in Connecticut on September 27, 1941 to his cherished parents, Joseph and Marion Renick. Eldest of two children, he shared life with his sister Cheryl and was very protective of her as they grew up near Palm Beach, Florida. His father, whose early stage professional baseball career was interrupted and then discontinued following the death of his parents (he resigned in order to take care of his younger brothers), was also talented with steel and construction projects, working on the famous Unisphere for the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York City. The family enjoyed spending time with relatives in Connecticut and Florida, with many stories of eras gone by and much laughter shared together. During his time in the U.S. Air Force, Terry met the love of his life, Joy, and they married and enjoyed sharing life to the fullest as they were side by side through years of love, growing in faith, laughter and tears, celebrations and challenges. Known as people to connect with while also as connectors of friends, they were usually “on the go” together enjoying a vast array of experiences. Favorite activities together included hosting fun gatherings of family/friends at home, playing favorite card or board games, attending musical and theater performances, and appreciating God’s creation together as they traversed the United States and many places overseas, too.

A talented and personable man, Terry had an intuitive way to apply himself and achieve – a modern day Renaissance man. Connecting with people and sharing life with others was Terry’s internal drive. Always ready to celebrate and connect with people, he and his wife, Joy, hosted a nearly annual epic Christmas party along with many other gatherings. He lit up a room with his larger than life presence - tall and confident stature placing him head and shoulders above many - while his natural kindness, great sense of humor, and engaging personality complimented his uncanny ability to both tell a story and listen intently. His laughter was recognizable in a room of hundreds of people. He had a way of “lighting up” your soul and making a meaningful difference in others. Seeking to avoid complaining, yet hoping to find the good in all situations, he demonstrated the power of perspective.

His passion for aviation and military service began as a young boy, prompting him to excel and become one of the youngest ever cadets in Civil Air Patrol, to enlist and serve in the U.S. Air Force, and to acquire his private pilot license which he relished. A savvy “flyboy” as his keen eyes would look up and identify aircrafts flying over, flight shows were also a favorite activity with a special appreciation for the brilliance of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Navy Blue Angels. His military service amplified his patriotic spirit, implanting a deeper appreciation for all who serve the great United States. He continued to advocate for veterans and always honored the flag procession and national anthem, often with a tear in his eyes.

Demonstrating athletic aptitude in his earliest years lent to learning baseball from his dad and becoming an avid baseball player who delivered stinging pitches and homerun hits. He later taught his children sports and encouraged them to develop athletic ability, joining in their neighborhood baseball and football games. Some of his favorite activities include skiing, swimming, couples bowling league and couples softball teams, and seeking to golf as much as possible – his favorite course being Pebble Beach – and even taught his children to golf (well, he had success with his sons while his daughters provided him with much comic relief in that pursuit).

Developing his natural musical talent by playing guitar and singing with his rich, warm tone ushered him to a unique opportunity as a young college student with his band going on professional concert stages and backing up musical stars traveling in Dick Clark’s concert tour organization. He continued playing guitar and singing as a personal hobby to share music with his wife and children as he encouraged all to pursue something musical. Many evenings were enjoyed with him playing guitar and singing genres of music together - instilling deep music appreciation in the family first-hand by also taking them to many concerts, symphonies, musicals. He did not have a favorite song, rather more like a songbook collection.

His successful business career began with IBM where he took the initiative to build it into a stellar career beginning as a typewriter repairman and advancing through managing branch offices and regions, finally to national executive level as national service manager. There were many accolades along this thirty-year career path that he would humbly defer taking credit for and indicate it was the outcome of the great work of his teams. After retiring from IBM, he was recruited to work for a consulting company and thrived doing interesting project work. His career path was enhanced by an insatiable quest for learning, evidenced in his Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University. He was a voracious reader, diligently studied the Bible, and could discuss nearly any topic - often inspiring others to read and continue learning. His natural leadership qualities combined with his intelligence, trustworthiness, and a magnetic personality led to him being sought out for advice. He humbly practiced what he preached and willingly shared insights with others. He was asked to serve and happily did so in volunteer leadership positions to include: VFW, Portland Air Show, OMSI, Kansas Chapter of Jaycees, coaching youth football and baseball teams, church roles on elder board and teaching Sunday school classes and church service usher team.

He enjoyed creative hobbies and could intuitively determine how to fix or build nearly anything. His pursuits include: many home improvement projects, woodworking, leatherworking, building precision radio-controlled airplanes in his workshop while following a blueprint and then flying them with his RC clubs, designing and creating large landscape rock waterfalls that he built with his own hands, drawing and sketching (best Pictionary partner!), decorating family houses with copious amounts of Christmas lights (many years rivaling the well-known display in the movie Christmas Vacation), and developed a talent by learning how to do oil painting and then meticulously created many paintings that adorn homes of his family. (He would humorously indicate the original Barbie dreamhouse in the wee hours of Christmas decades ago as being one of his biggest structural achievements).

A devoted family man to his core, Terry was an excellent provider to his family. He sought to share time together at every opportunity – so engaged, communicative, and continually expressing deep thankfulness for his family, inundating inboxes with personal messages and “forwarding to share” info, giving his advice and encouragement to his children and grandchildren, “Think!” … “AIM HIGH!” … Keep it simple, net it out” … and to “apply yourself - you can do anything, even become an astronaut if you desire” which deposited his hope and faith to make one’s life count. Reminding his children of the importance of “making good eye contact, having a firm handshake, and always remember a person’s name” as he purposefully passed along what he learned in life which included sharing that “my faith in God and my family are the greatest treasures in life.”

The loss of his presence here is utterly devastating to his family and friends, yet he would be the first to find something uplifting to say – so to honor him, may we pursue to learn from his exemplary example. For those blessed to know him, you know this only skims the surface of Terry and his way of living life to the fullest and his endless deep devotion to his family & friends and his beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

May we seek to carry on his immeasurable legacy as we invite you to gather together with the family for Terry Renick’s Celebration of Life service at Beaverton Foursquare Church located at:13565 SW Walker Road Beaverton, Oregon 97005 (on a date yet to be determined due to the current pandemic. Please email RenickClan@gmail.com and request to receive service planning updates). You can also honor Terry's memory by taking a moment to call someone to let them know they are loved, helping a U.S. military veteran, or simply pausing a moment to interact kindly with a stranger. We share this extended tribute with hopes of inspiring others – he would humbly say it is all because of God and the blessings of those placed in his life. Now, it only seems fitting to finish this how he often ended a personal email, “God’s blessings on your days.”