John Edward Terrill II

John Edward Terrill II was born in Tarrytown, New York on April 23, 1932, to John Edward Terrill and Mary Albina Bingham Terrill. He passed away peacefully on January 23, 2026, at the age of ninety-three, at home in Encinitas, surrounded by his loving family.

John was baptized at Asbury Methodist Church and grew up in Tarryton. He was captain of his football team at Washington Irving High School. In 1950, John graduated and was recruited to play football at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. John enrolled in the ROTC; in 1955 he graduated from the University of GA with a degree in Forestry. He remained a “Bulldog” for the rest of his life. That summer, while waiting for his U.S. Army assignment, John worked for the forest service and lived in a fire tower in Washington state. This experience generated many stories that he told to his children and grandchildren. Throughout his life he loved the outdoors and appreciated the splendor of God’s creation. In November 1955, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and assigned to be an Ordinance officer. He volunteered for jump school, completing paratrooper training at the Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Following this training he received his orders to Germany. He was transferred to the 510th Heavy Tank Battalion headquartered in Mannheim, Germany. In October 1957, John met Dorothy Jean Pederson who was teaching at the high school on base. They were married on Christmas Day, 1957, in the U.S. Army chapel. John drove his white Porsche Speedster to Zermatt, Switzerland for their honeymoon. Porsches were another of his loves and in 1959, he purchased a ruby red Porsche Cabriolet which he took delivery of at the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, Germany. In the Fall of 1959, John was transferred to Fort Benning, GA, where his two daughters were born – Kathryn Jean and Karen Joy.

Three years later, John and his family were transferred to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland where John attended an officers training course. When he graduated, John was reassigned to the Presidio of San Francisco, CA. Soon after arriving, John’s son, John Edward III was born in San Francisco. As the United States became involved in the Vietnam War, John was sent to the U.S. Army Language School in Monterey, California to learn Vietnamese. He was then deployed to Vietnam as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Army. His tour of duty lasted from 1965 to 1966, during which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. While John was in Vietnam, his second son, Peter Andrew, was born in California.

When his tour ended, he was assigned to the U.S. Army Arsenal in Rock Island, Illinois and the family moved to Davenport, Iowa. Following this assignment, John was sent back to Vietnam as a liaison officer for the Rock Island Arsenal from 1967-1968 and the family moved back to live in Sunnyvale, CA. John spend much of his time in helicopters, flying to units all over Vietnam.

John was then stationed at the Oakland Army Base, while living with his family in Sunnyvale. During this period, John was able to be both a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader; later on, he was also an Indian Guide. His son, Eric James was at this this time, which made for a lively household of 3 boys!

In late 1971, John was transferred, with his family to Taegu, South Korea, where they lived on base. While there, the Terrill family went on many week-end excursions exploring the Korean countryside. When their year in Korea ended, John was assigned as the Procurement Officer at Philco Ford, in Mountain View, CA. In December 1975, John retired from the military and was employed as a Contract Manager for several companies. During this period, John led the building of their new home in Saratoga, which their daughter and sons grew up in. In 1993, John retired from his second career from GTE (Verizon). This left him more time to garden at his home, to further pursue his love of photography, and be more active at their church, Immanuel Lutheran Church. John and Dorothy spent considerable time traveling to foreign destinations during retirement, including frequent trips to Colombia, where they served in a mission capacity. In 2013, John and Dorothy sold their home of 38 years in Saratoga and moved to Southern California. They bought a house in Encinitas where he resided until he passed away.

John was an ardent photographer and every time he wanted to take another photo, he would say “una mas”. John and Dorothy traveled extensively during their retirement years, including Germany, Sicily, South America, Africa, and the “five Stans” In Central Asia. Their last foreign trip was a cruise along the coast of Norway and a trip to Zermatt, Switzerland where they had spent their honeymoon. John was preceded in death by his young daughter, Karen Joy, his parents, and sister Joy. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, his daughter Kathryn and sons Jack, Peter, and Eric, twelve grandchildren and three great grandchildren. His internment will be at the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio of San Francisco, CA.

Memorial gifts can be sent to Christmas Angels Project at Calvary Lutheran Church in Solana Beach, The Anne Carlson Center (a school for children with special needs, located in Jamestown, North Dakota) or Hospice of the North Coast in Carlsbad, CA.

A celebration of life will be forthcoming at Calvary Lutheran Church, Solana Beach, CA