George W. Terry, 93, of Galesburg, died at 3:50 a.m. Friday, January 12, 2024, in OSF St. Mary Medical Center.
He was born in Strasburg, Illinois on October 3, 1930, the son of Ralph and Sue (Wallace) Terry. He had an older sister, Melba Terry Wilson, and brother, Paul Terry.
He married his best friend and the love of his life, Anna L. Bridges, at the United Methodist Church in Strasburg on February 5, 1950.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 74 years, Anna; three children, Marsha (Richard) Keene of Macomb, George Michael (Teresa) Terry of Galesburg, and Patricia (Mark) Hill of Naperville; five grandsons, Zachary (Andrea) Keene of Macomb, John Michael (Janiene) Keene of Smithfield, Carson Hill and Amanda Baratka of Naperville, Tyler (Meghan) Hill of Montgomery, and Frank Terry of Galesburg; and seven great grandchildren, Justice and Cameron Keene of Macomb, John Wade Keene of Smithfield, Caelob and Taetym Hill of Naperville, and Austyn and Shaye Hill of Montgomery. He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings; and a granddaughter, Holly Ann Keene.
George felt the call to ministry when he was 32 years old. He attended Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, where he graduated from in 1968 as a United Methodist Minister.
While attending seminary, George pastored at the Moulton United Methodist Church in Shelbyville and at the Greenup United Methodist Church. In 1966, the Terry family moved to Tower Hill, where he served a “four point” pastorship, serving churches in Tower Hill, Hinton, Robinson Creek, and Zion United Methodist Church. In 1971, he then moved to Kirkwood, Illinois and served Kirkwood and Smithshire United Methodist Churches for 16 years. George retired in June 1996 from the Abingdon United Methodist Church, after 35 years in ministry.
A quote from Pastor Terry at the time of his retirement, “The base of my preaching has always been love. If I realize that Christ loves me, my love flows back to Him, and then I need to share that love with others. My people know that I’ve stressed love and they practice it.” George was a humble and loving person, who always looked for the good in people and always gave them the benefit of the doubt. He had a special gift of listening to and understanding how to provide comfort to those in need.
While growing up, George was a successful athlete, participating in sports at school. His love of sports carried over to him enjoying watching his grandson’s and great-grandchildren’s sporting activities and other events. George also had a great love of listening to all types of music and he was an avid reader.
Family graveside service will be held in the Grace Lutheran Cemetery, in Strasburg. A visitation and memorial service will be announced at a date yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Abingdon United Methodist Church. Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Directors and Cremation Services of Galesburg is honored to serve the family. Online condolences and memories may be shared on the funeral home’s website at www.h-p-w.com.
