Terrence Louis Serie

Terrence L. “Terry” Serie, a long-time Arlington resident and former Planning Commission member, died peacefully in hospice care on Saturday, July 8, 2023, after an extended battle with cancer.

In 1948, Terry was one of seven children born to Arnold and Eileen Serie in Pipestone, MN. He graduated in 1966 from Little Falls Community High School, Little Falls, MN, and went on to college at St. Cloud State University, receiving a BA in criminal justice/political science.

Terry’s keen interest in politics began in college, where he was active in Young Democrats, serving at one point as treasurer. He parlayed that experience his senior year when submitting a summer internship application to then-U.S. Senator Walter Mondale (D-MN), who helped him get a job serving as a press liaison between the U.S. Senate and the national press in 1969.

In a September 1969 college newspaper interview, when asked if he would like to return to Washington, DC, Terry replied, “Yes, but in a little bit more permanent position.”

It didn’t take him too long. After a stint running his own business (Serie and Associates) in Minnesota and then a 5-year run in public affairs as a manager for the St. Regis Corporation (a paper company that merged with Champion International), Terry returned to DC to work for American Forest & Paper Association in 1985, rising to become Vice President.

In 1990, he moved to Arlington and started his own public affairs consulting firm in 2005. Well respected as a public relations professional, Terry was lauded by long-time colleague James E. Lukaszewski for his “crucial insights and pragmatism” in his book, Lukaszewski on Crisis Communication: What Your CEO Needs to Know About Reputation Risk and Crisis Management.

A life-long Democrat, Terry became deeply involved in the Arlington County Democratic Committee, serving in a variety of volunteer capacities, including as area precinct chair in 2009, where he oversaw precinct operations in the central part of the county.

His invaluable volunteer work with the Bluemont Civic Association and local homeowners in conjunction with a neighborhood site plan project led to his appointment as an Arlington County Planning Commissioner in 2009, where he served until 2012. Terry remained actively engaged in community service until 2018.

Terry was predeceased by his mother and father, his brother Michael, Brother-In-Law William (Bill) Jordan and his beloved life-partner Ann Bisson, former Arlington County Deputy Commissioner of the Revenue. He is survived by siblings Sandy Jordan, William (Linda) Serie, Rebecca (John) Miller, Dennis (Jane) Serie, Laurie (Garrett Zimmerman) Serie, and many treasured nieces and nephews and other family members.

At Terry’s request, no funeral service is planned. For those who may wish to honor Terry’s life, the family suggests that donations may be made in his memory to organizations that Terry supported, including Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), PO Box 6261, Arlington VA 22206-0261(or online at www.afac.org) and PathForward (formerly A-SPAN), PO Box 100731, Arlington, VA 22210 (or online at www.pfva.org).