Terry Lynn Sapp

November 22, 1945 – May 6, 2026

Terry Lynn Sapp, 80, of Columbia, passed away suddenly from a heart attack on May 6, 2026.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at Memorial Funeral Home, 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, Missouri 65202. Visitation will take place from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Entombment will take place at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Terry was born on November 22, 1945, in Boone County to Andrew and Ella Sapp. He was the sixth of eight children and grew up on a farm, where he learned how to work hard, help others, and make do with what he had. He graduated from Hickman High School in 1963 and married the love of his life, Glenda Glass, in 1965.

Terry started working young. At just 19 years old, he started a brick-laying business, and throughout the 1970s, he also built rental properties in the Columbia area. In 1976, Terry and Glenda, along with his brother Mike and wife Sherry, opened Good Time Country, a country music dance hall that drew more than 1,000 dancers every Saturday night. Terry could always be found there playing his left-handed fiddle, surrounded by music, family, and friends.

In the early 1980s, Terry moved his family to Weatherford, Oklahoma, where he learned the concrete flatwork trade. He returned to Columbia in 1984 and continued in the concrete business, working alongside his son, Nathan, until the day he died.

Terry will be remembered as someone who worked hard, gave freely, and loved his horse racing. He planted a big garden every year and took real joy in giving away tomatoes, corn, and whatever else he had grown to anyone who stopped by the farm. That was Terry. If he had something to give, he would share it.

One of the clearest pictures of Terry’s love was the way he cared for Glenda after she suffered a massive stroke in December 2018. For more than four years, he cared for her day and night until her passing in February 2023. He did it faithfully, without complaint, because that was what love meant to him.

Terry is survived by his daughter, Denise Nelson and her husband, Rick, of Columbia; his son, Nathan Sapp and his wife, Anjee; and three beloved grandchildren, Nicholas Nelson and his wife, Lauren, of Clearwater, Florida, Brittany Nelson of Columbia, and Talon Sapp of Columbia.

Terry leaves behind a life marked by hard work, loyalty, music, generosity, and deep love for his family. He will be missed more than words can say, but the way he lived, the things he built, and the love he gave will stay with those who knew him.