Margaret Ann Terry

that only you could hear,

No one heard the footsteps

of the Angel drawing near,

Softly from the shadows

there came a gentle call,

You closed your eyes and went to sleep

and quietly left us all.

Dr. Margaret Ann Terry passed away peacefully at home in the early hours of January 2, 2023. She was born in Indiana on March 28, 1944 to Kenneth Yates Boisseau, Sr. and Opal Bell Boisseau. Her family soon returned to Mayodan, North Carolina, a town that was co-founded by Margaret’s grandfather, where she spent her childhood.

Growing up in Mayodan, Margaret developed a great love of nature and music. She followed her musical passion and her love of academia by attending North Carolina State University as a piano major. While there, she met her future husband and the love of her life, Benjamin Terry, when they struck up a conversation while standing next to each other in the Raleigh K&W cafeteria line. They married on July 26, 1969 and soon relocated to Benjamin’s native Peru, where he took a job as an agriculture expert for the Peruvian government.

Being in Peru gave both Margaret and Benjamin the perfect playground to indulge their love of ancient history and historic architecture. They traveled around the country, visiting remote villages, great sites like Machu Pichu and the Amazon Rainforest, even surviving a sudden earthquake! Margaret often spoke of the vegetation of Peru, and how everything there was enormous in size, including the “giant” fruits and vegetables! They also welcomed their three sons, Ivan, Daniel, and Steven. After enjoying eight years in Lima, Peru, Margaret and Benjamin decided to return to the United States in 1977 to pursue their dreams of teaching. The family went home to be with family in Mayodan before permanently settling in Raleigh.

In Raleigh, Margaret and Benjamin returned to university and earned master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology. Margaret also continued her love of music as a member of the Raleigh Oratorio Society, where she joined in many beautiful choral performances of classical music.

After earning her Ph.D., she took a job as a sociology professor at North Carolina State University. Later in life she continued to teach part time at Durham State University before retiring and dedicating herself to her interests of music, gardening, interior design, and studying ancient history and archeology. Margaret’s travelling didn’t end in the physical places she went. She was a voracious consumer of educational programs. She never stopped aspiring to learn about other cultures, traditions, or religions. She was always engaged in something that gave her a better understanding of the world and the people that live in it.

Together, Margaret and Benjamin took several trips to visit family members, traveling as far as Honolulu, Hawaii, and Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as to closer locations such as Colonial Williamsburg, southern Virginia, and her hometown of Mayodan. Margaret’s husband always speaks fondly of their travels, as she made traveling fun, engaging, and exciting. She took notice of the simple things on her travels, pointing out birds, trees, rock formations – things most would overlook. She saw the beauty in life and Gods creations. But Margaret’s favorite place was home with Benjamin enjoying their everyday life. She was just as content to spend her evenings going to dinner and a movie with her beloved husband. To Margaret, life couldn’t get any better than spending time with “Papi”.

Margaret is survived by her devoted husband of more than 52 years, Dr. Benjamin Terry; her sons, Ivan, Daniel, and Steven Terry; and five grandchildren: Austin, Colton, Benjamin, Ryan, and Mia Terry. She will be remembered as a talented musician, a lifelong learner, and a thoughtful, humble person who found beauty and meaning in the simple things in life. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her, for she touched us all, each in a special way. May she rest with the angels.

A private graveside service was held in Raleigh Memorial Park.

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God looked around his garden- And found an empty place,

He then looked down upon the earth- And saw your tired face.

He put his arms around you -And lifted you to rest.

God’s garden must be beautiful -He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering -He knew you were in pain.

He knew that you would never – Get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough – And the hills were hard to climb.

So he closed your weary eyelids – And whispered, ‘Peace be thine’.

It broke our hearts to lose you – But you didn’t go alone,

For part of us went with you – The day God called you home.

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the Earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called the Sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 5:3–10