So Uncle Terry, me and my friend Brad, were spring turkey hunting in 2007. 
It had been a slow morning and not much was happening so we decided to take a walk and call a bit.  Towards the end of our adventure walking through the woods and calling, we found ourselves in the bottom of a Kansas ditch, which was 15 yards wide by 10 yards deep. We looked around to find descent path up the far side of the ditch.  Terry looks over and points out a deer trail going up the steepest part of the ditch.  Brad & I look at each other and determine we can find a better path.  Terry, the American Ninja Warrior, looks at us and declares
"If a friggin' deer can make it, so can I!!"
He made it, but it looked something like a cluster with Brad pulling and me pushing!

Two weeks after Uncle Terry passed, I found myself in a tree stand bow hunting for deer.
A nice buck came along, and I pleasantly found myself just watching him questioning why I did not want to take this buck.  The answer came soon after when I watch him come to a creek crossing.  There was a very easy crossing ten steps to his right.  Instead, he went 10 steps to his left.  It was nearly vertical.  As I watched him struggle up the far side of the creek bank, I smiled and cried.

I love you and will miss you dearly Uncle Terry. 

                                                                                               The Rat King
Caroline the youngest of Terry's grandchildren was enlisted in ballet and loving it. At family dinner every week she would put on a dance. As Christmas drew close dad regaled us with the tales about how he was once the rat king in a grade school production of the Nutcracker. Caroline eagerly grabbed him from his chair and enlisted him to do "lifts" with her. He stood at the end of a hallway and waited for Caroline to take a charging run right at grandpa, then he would lift her over his head and spin around to Caroline's excitement. Before she hit the floor she had only one word that she would be repeating.....AGAIN! Then Georgia would take a few turns, and the rat king would then retire to his chair knowing he would reclaim his crown next week. 


Hi Lynn,
I really enjoyed getting to know Terry, especially sharing a Texan heritage with him.  I cannot even imagine how hard this is for you due to the sudden nature of his death.  I am praying that God’s spirit of peace is upon you.  And Cherri, Pastor Brian, myself, and the rest of the staff and leaders of Atonement are here to help you walk through the grief.  
 
Death is “a” goodbye.  But, thanks be to God, it is not “the” goodbye.  Because of Christ, we will meet again in the great cloud of witnesses. 
 
Peace,
Pastor Zac

Part 2
This is the sad, heavy air into which Jesus speaks.  "Do not let your hearts be troubled," he says, sounding about as unusual as a football coach trying to get his players to focus on technique and ignore the suffocating silence.
"Trust in God," he continues.  But that's hard to do when no one has ever seen this distant and mysterious God character.  But what everybody does see very clearly is life crumbling apart.  Jesus can see that very clearly in their eyes, and he keeps coaching, adjusting on the fly.  
"Trust also in me.  My death is a business trip.  I go to prepare a place in my father's eternal beautiful house for you; and since I'm going to all this trouble for you, I will come back personally and take you there.  I will return for you.  I will bring you home.  We've got this.  You know the way to the place where I am going."
And Thomas, God bless him, speaks for the team, "Lord, we have no idea what you are talking about.  We do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?"
"I am the way.  I am the adventure.  I am the secret.  I am the triumph.  I am the way and the truth and the resurrection, and the life.  I am changing the doorway of death from the exit into the entrance.  I am turning the last leg into the beginning of the greatest adventure.  Instead of touring museums, you are going to meet the artist.  Instead of scouring the world's libraries for books on Russian history, you are going to interview Catherine the Great.  Death is the way that I am going to take you where no one gets to go.  Death is now your backstage pass to real life.  It is your ticket to stand face to face with the mystery behind the magic forever.  Believe in God.  Believe also in me. When I show up for you or for someone you love, do not let your hearts be troubled.  When the fight is finished, when the race is over, when everything that you have worked and planned and practiced and worried and struggled and lived for is done, that's when the party begins."

Sermon Part 1 - By Pastor Brian Hiortdahl
Lynn, Kathryn, Jennifer, Liz, beloved grandchildren, family, friends of Terry and children of God, grace to you all and that peace which passes understanding from our crucified and risen savior, Jesus Christ.
They had so many adventures together in so many different places.  They shared so many memories, stories, references, and inside jokes and facial expressions that no one outside the family would ever understand.  The Bible leaves us no record of these disciples making homemade ice cream or sliding into an air mattress or catching passes as they leap into the Sea of Galilee, and it is doubtful that they ever made it to Glacier National Park or to Paris, Texas -- or the other one, I think it's in France -- but they did fish a lot and come back with some pretty wild stories about it.  
But suddenly, almost out of nowhere, things changed.  The disciples were freaking out.  Jesus was talking about his death that no one was even remotely ready for because he was much too young and had far too much to live for still, especially them.  He told them to love one another in that low, serious voice, with a look that only happens in eyes that are about to die, and then Judas ran out of the room.  And you know what that means:  They lost the 12th man.
If you can imagine the Aggies lining up for a home game in an empty stadium, you get a sense of how eerie and surreal life is in the shadow of death.  The Bleck family now sits where those eleven disciples did, overwhelmed and confused and thunderstruck and devastated and scared and more.  
There are far more questions than answers.  There is much more panic than peace, even if you don't see it or feel it immediately or on the surface.  Grief is different for everyone, of course, but it always sucks.  It is always disorienting and lonely and strange.  The world will never be anything close to the same again.

The German Chocolate Surprise

When Lynn and Terry were first married, Lynn wanted to make Terry’s first birthday a very special occasion.  Lynn knew Terry’s German heritage was a fitting connection for their celebration.  
So what loving wife wouldn’t make a triple-layer German chocolate cake?  Lynn was over the top with excitement to present this beauty to her new beau.  Lynn spent “big bucks” on REAL chocolate for the cake.  Terry graciously accepted her thoughtful gesture, and the birthday went off without a hitch.
As the years passed, the German chocolate cakes appeared year after year never fail.  Of course, the homemade ice cream was a staple as well.  
The seven-year itch in the Bleck house was far different than what you may imagine.  As May 22 was fast approaching, Terry took a deep breath, mustered his courage, said a small prayer, and confessed to Lynn:
	“Could we possibly try the Silver White Cake in the Betty Crocker cookbook?”
	Lynn exclaimed, “Well, what about the German chocolate cake?  I thought you loved that!”
	Terry sheepishly admitted, “Uh, no, I do NOT like German chocolate cake.”
	So the silver lining is:  The days of German chocolate cake ended and the Silver White Cake with cream cheese frosting commenced!

On a late December morn, Terry experienced his one and only duck hunt. The weather was especially wintery, with the wind blowing out of the north and moisture in the air...perfect day on the Missouri river. The five of us put in at Paynes landing about 5 a.m. The plan was to get up on a wing dam about 1/4 mile down stream where we knew the mallards would be swinging in to rest in the calm water. Ryan had a great duck boat and it worked well to handle big loads of gear. On this trip it was decided that two trips would be needed to haul the hunters and all the bulky decoy bags. All loaded up, then Ryan launched and headed downstream. I stayed behind to park the trailer and waited to be picked up. I saw the headlights of the boat as they turned right and beached behind the wing dam. Steve Creal and Brad Summers unloaded and Terry and Ryan launched, came back in the river and turned towards me waiting at the landing. They had gone a short distance and I saw the light on the boat, turn and then...darkness. I waited forever and saw in the distance a faint light going left as they made it to shore on the opposite side of the river from Brad and Steve. I learned later the 25 HP Nissan outboard shot craps, and they were drifting downstream. As the morning sun came Terry and Ryan launched and eventually got over to the side where Brad and Steve were. A couple of hours later they were able to pull the boat back to their original destination. In the meantime, Brad and Steve were cleaning up on mallards. Fellow hunters towed them back to the landing. We drove home in a blizzard. Terry didn't fire a shot.

As a close colleague, I valued not only Terry's knowledge at work but his happiness. Every conversation we had was full of laughs and jokes which always made my day a little brighter. He will be dearly missed by many.

It was great working with Terry at Vesta's clients.  I will miss his cheerfulness.

As a friend of Lynn's since college, I was very eager to meet this guy who was courting her from Missouri - driving to Sioux Falls, SD on weekends! When I met Terry, I considered myself the queen of Trivial Pursuit which was very popular at the time.  But when I played Terry, my queendom was shattered! He beat me at every game.  I decided this nice guy who was dating Lynn was quite intelligent! Eventually, as a DoDDS teacher, I became friends with sister Laura when we both were working in England.  The same thing happened! Those Bleck brain genes were too powerful! Both Laura and Terry claimed it was their education at Texas A & M! We had a lot of fun trying to compete with each other - - Texas vs. South Dakota! I loved the photos of Terry on this site and on Facebook.  His love  of life and of his extended family was evident in every photo! God bless you, Terry! And Laura too! You will be so missed, but I know all those memories about your spirited life here on earth will eventually be a comfort to your family and friends! My sympathy and love to Lynn and all of the family. 

My sincere condolences.
Very sorry to hear this sad news.
My thoughts are with Terry and his family!

My deepest and most sincere condolences to the family. I had the pleasure of knowing Terry his entire time at Vesta. He was a pleasure to work with and just be around. He will be greatly missed by his Vesta family. 

Thoughts and prayers for the family during this difficult time.  I always enjoyed chatting with Terry at the Vesta annual meetings.  Terry was a great man and will truly be missed.

My thoughts are very much with you all at this sad time. I had the pleasure of interviewing Terry for his role at Vesta and from the outset it was clear he was a gentleman of great integrity, dedication and someone who would brighten up any work environment.  Recommending him for hire was very easy and I know his contribution at Vesta will be greatly missed.  

I had the good fortune to work with Terry at a Vesta project in Lincoln, NE this past year.  I enjoyed getting to know Terry, and talking about family, past jobs and a variety of topics. 

My deepest condolences on your loss-Terry was a good man, and will be missed.

My deepest condolences to Lynn and family. I’ve known Terry for the 5 years I have been at Vesta and had the privilege of working with him on 2 projects. We became good friends and always talked about  families and aspirations. Terry will be greatly missed. I hope that you find peace in knowing how loved he was to us all.

My thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. Terry will be truly missed by his Vesta family.

Condolences and Prayers to the family.  Terry was a blessing.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Terry Lee Bleck

22 mai 1954 – 17 octobre 2018

McGilley & Hoge Johnson County Memorial Chapel

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