Terry Shirey

Terry was born on October Second, 1957, on a beautiful fall day in Lodi California. As time passed, his faith in God grew, and on September Eleventh, 2012 Terry passed into His loving arms. He was in the arms of his loving wife Irene when he passed. As was his trademark, he was more worried about those he loved than himself, and he told her how much he loved her moments before passing.

Terry’s childhood was spent in the San Juaquin Valley of California. When Terry was a child he and his family enjoyed camping, fishing, swimming, hunting and playing (and fighting) with his big brother.

He and his family moved to Vashon Island, Washington in the early 1960’s. He attended Vashon Island Elementary School, and in his teens he moved to Colorado where he attended High School, and eventually earned his GED.

Terry moved back to Washington as a young man and entered the warehousing industry. He managed several warehouses and retail shops over the years. He met his loving wife Irene in 1992 and found love at first sight. They moved to Yakima in 1995, where Terry continued in his profession, managing warehouses and parts rooms. In 2002 Terry and Irene opened “All Critters Grooming”, a pet grooming shop in Yakima. In 2009 Terry entered the HVAC training program at Perry Technical College in Yakima. He soared to the top of his class and earned top honors. He became a tutor while still attending college. In June of 2011 he graduated first in his class. That same day he received two offers of employment and accepted a position with the Wal-Mart Corporation. He was with them until his untimely passing.

Terry enjoyed boating and served two terms as the Commodore of the Yakima Valley Yacht Club. Terry was an active member of the Fraternal Order Of The Eagles. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing. Terry had a passion for woodworking and built yard-sized windmills, wishing wells, chairs, and other décor. He also built matchstick models including the Eifel Tower, a semi truck and tractor, a paddle-boat, and a castle. He enjoyed motorcycling on his GoldWing. His love of Star Trek was widely known.

Terry was a guy with a great laugh and was a jokester. He was a true friend who could be counted on to drop everything and always be there for you.

Terry is survived by his wife Irene, his mother Shirley, his “Pops” Peter, his brother Dean (Leanne) and many loving brothers and sisters-in-law, aunts, and uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was especially fond of his nephew Benjamin, and his niece Charity. He taught Benjamin to shoot and hunt and spent many hours with him hiking, hunting, and fishing. Charity was always there for Terry. Terry was always proud to tell people that Charity and Benjamin, while learning from him, also helped him grow as an adult. Terry was preceded in passing by his father, Jerald Shirey, of Reno, Nevada.

A celebration of Terry’s life will be held on September 22nd, 2012 at the Yakima Fraternal Order Of The Eagles, 307 W. Chestnut Ave. A Memorial Service will begin at 11:00 AM, Wake to immediately follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Terry’s name will be gratefully accepted by:

The Memorial Foundation, 2701 Tieton Drive, Yakima, Wa. 98902, a foundation that provides funding for cancer research.