Terry Lee Boettcher

Terry was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and was the eldest of the four boys of Earl and Penny Boettcher. The family moved down to Jacksonville, Florida when Terry was a teenager. He quickly developed a passion for playing sports. He found basketball, and it turned out to be a lifetime involvement in a sport he played, coached and enjoyed watching to his last day.

The family moving to Jacksonville turned out to be one of the most important moves of his life. It was there, just down the street, the Macarages family lived, and they had a daughter named Susan. In the beginning, Terry was doing anything to get her attention. Susan’s Mom would tell the story that Terry would come down the street dribbling his basketball by the house. If he didn’t get her attention, he’d just keep circling the neighborhood dribbling it louder and louder by their house until she came out. Susan was the love of Terry’s life. They built a beautiful life together including a 57-year marriage and a family of three children, Terry Jr., Penny and Timothy.

As a young adult, Terry was invited to an old fashioned tent revival. Terry would tell the story of how, when the invitation was given to come forward, he had a death grip on the chair in front of him. For him, to release his grasp and walk forward would change his life forever. It was there that Terry gave his life to Jesus Christ and became a Christian. That decision led to a lifetime of service to God. He served in the church doing whatever made a difference. It included conducting Sunday School classes and leading the children’s church services. It was during that time that he learned he loved to teach others.

Terry was a life-long learner and was always teaching others. Whether it was teaching his family at the dinner table in the evenings or teaching students, seeing those around him learn gave him joy. He dedicated the largest portion of his life to educating students in middle and high schools in Florida and North Carolina. Looking back on his life, Terry would always say that God opened doors to get out of the corporate world and into education. He would say it led him to a life that brought him great joy where he could make a difference in the lives of others. Being involved in education also gave him the chance to coach athletics. He coached multiple sports throughout his career, but always enjoyed coaching basketball the most.

Terry had other lifelong passions, including the love of the mountains, specifically, the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. It’s hard to remember a family vacation that didn’t end up in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. He enjoyed everything about being there. He and Susan got to fulfill a lifelong dream by packing up and making a move to Bakersville, North Carolina. It was there that they built a log cabin and made a new home together creating lifelong memories and hosting their family including their four grandchildren: Nicholas, Amelia, Isabella and Abigail.

Terry also enjoyed the game of golf. He liked being outdoors, but he also enjoyed the lifelong pursuit of improvement in the game. He was always just one tweak away from having it all figured out. He played the game for most of his adult life. He and his brother, Major, would walk 36 holes on Saturday mornings, teeing it up as the sun rose. Later, the family would play near Ocala on Saturday afternoons. Later in life, Terry would teach Susan the game and they would play near Palm Coast.

Terry would spend his retirement years in Palm Coast, Florida. It was here that he and Susan would enjoy retirement together with visits from family including their latest and 5th grandchild, Arlo. Late in life, Terry was loved and cared for by Susan. Even though his physical body was failing, he still got to teach, he still got to love his wife, he still got to tell others about Jesus and God let him dream. He’d dream about playing golf, teaching, being in the mountains and doing activities with his family.

Terry is survived by his wife of 57 years, Susan Boettcher; his three children: Terry (Carol) Boettcher Jr., Penny (John) Schmitt and Timothy (Laura) Boettcher and five grandchildren: Nicholas Boettcher, Amelia Boettcher, Isabella Schmitt, Abigail Schmitt and Arlo Boettcher