Obituary

Terry Alan Lindsay passed away on June 10^th, 2022, at the age of 73 years, at Penticton Regional Hospital. Terry had battled some serious health issues in recent years, most recently, since April, but he always faced these battles with courage and positivity. If there was a path to overcoming these challenges, Terry took that path, uncomplaining, and with determination. In his last week in ICU he was surrounded by his loving family, friends, and the unrelenting caregivers in the hospital, aka his doctors and nurses. 

So, where do you start when your spouse (and partner) of the last 48+ years has died? Where do you start when your heart is broken, and your family is in so much pain? Well, as Terry would have said, “you start at the beginning”:

Terry was born on Aug. 10^th, 1948, in Vancouver, BC, a member of that demographically important group known as the “baby boomers”. His parents, Gordon and Shirley, would add two more children to their small tribe: Brian (1951) and Michael (1961) and then move the family to North Delta where Terry was able to grow up with some of his cousins, and stay close to many other relatives. Terry continued to hone his skills and talents as a good student and a good athlete at North Delta Secondary before moving on to Simon Fraser University to complete a degree and PDP program in Education. He would later obtain his Masters in Curriculum and Development at Gonzaga University in Spokane.

Terry first met his wife Diane in 1970 at the Surrey-Delta Messenger, where he was sports editor, and she was typesetter, and the most important question at that time was “how fast could (she) get his stories out and into paste-up”? Well, those stories were produced at lightning speed, and he was impressed. They both later worked in Langley at competing newspapers. It was definitely becoming a competition of sorts but please know that in the end they were both winners, as they were married on January 12^th, 1974 in Surrey, BC. Subsequently they welcomed four children into their little fold: Mark (1974) Joel (1975) Matthew (1977) and Aimee (1981). As far as Terry was concerned, it was always family – his, Diane’s, theirs – that was to be cherished in this life.  And, their children, their grandchildren and one great grandchild will never question this fact as he was unwavering in his pride, love and support for his family.

Terry taught in Delta (1976-1980), Cariboo/Chilcotin (1980-1988), and Penticton/Okanagan-Skaha (1988-2007) school districts. He took every opportunity, as most educators do, to upgrade his professional development and to join in on influential steering committees, including this district’s Reconfiguration Plan, which changed the structure of school grades by offering a Middle School grouping. But more importantly, he was a dedicated, caring educator who firmly believed that every student in his classroom had the potential to succeed, not just academically, but in many other ways as well. Over the years his past students have continued to attest to this fact and he was honoured to be a part of that.

Terry loved sports. He was a member of many sports clubs and teams over the years; as a youth, as a coach, and as an adult player. The playing was mostly for fun in later years but he never lost that competitive drive, even when he was playing recreational sports, be it fastball, tennis, golf and others. He also never lost out on opportunities to comment on professional sports teams. He and his sports-minded cohorts could discuss endlessly the merits and the shortcomings of teams, players, stats, drafts, contracts, and the like. He was a valued contributor to Penticton’s slow pitch community, especially as an umpire. Indeed, Terry was so committed, he even showed his wife Diane how to assist with his umpiring allocation duties and they both worked on these details while he was in the hospital. Baseball was his passion.

Terry was a “people” person; he loved to “shoot the breeze”, even when he would run into someone he didn’t know that well. His family, especially his children, can verify this fact, as they spent many minutes or half-hours, usually in the car, waiting for him to end these conversations. During vacations in other places Terry was always bumping into people he knew. Over the years he enthusiastically participated in numerous clubs, events, committees, and associations. In Penticton, probably the most memorable for him were the Winter Games, the Summer Games, and Oktoberfest. He was camp director at Silver Lake Forestry Camp for two summers in the 1990s. He was well known at the South Okanagan Event Centre, where he worked for a few years after retiring from teaching. 

In addition to his family doctor, Terry was supported by a dedicated team of doctors and nurses at the Renal Unit of PRH as well as his doctors in Cardiology and Oncology. He volunteered for many years with an amazing group of people who are affiliated with the Kidney Foundation of Canada/BC and Yukon Branch. He was forever grateful and humbled in 2014 to receive a living donor kidney transplant from a local woman, and, because of this person’s selfless donation, Terry was gifted with much cherished extra time to enjoy his life. And for all of this, his family remains indescribably thankful.

Terry is survived by his loving wife Diane; four children, Mark (Sarah); Joel (Lindsay); Matthew; Aimee (Andrew); seven grandchildren Tyrone, Noah, Hayden, Stella, Addison, Isaac, and Euan; one great grandchild Arya; two brothers Brian (Trudy), Mike (Joy); brothers-in-law and sister-in-law Greg, Bruce, Janice (Tony); many nieces and nephews, his Aunty Donna, several cousins, and many friends. He was predeceased by his parents Gordon and Shirley.

Terry had the best smile; please keep smiling when you think of him.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Penticton Golf & Country Club, 600 Comox St on Saturday, October 8^th from 3 to 5 pm. 

Diane Lindsay, Penticton, BC

June 19^th, 2022