Terry Parent

A Tribute to Terry Parent

With a fearless spirit, Terry Parent lived out loud- her story is one of fierce love, infectious laughter, and legendary shenanigans. She had the exceptional ability to create a space where people felt accepted, cherished, and completely themselves. To know her was to feel special and loved. She was our sunshine, our mom, wife, grandmother, best friend, and closest confidant.

Her laughter, loud, contagious, and often unstoppable, was the soundtrack of her life. She was the ultimate partner in crime, the first to say, “Yes, let’s do that!” whether it was plunging down birthday water slides, getting McDonald’s fries with hot mustard, sledding down the backyard hill over spectacular jumps, or ordering pornstar martinis because her grandkids asked her to.

Terry’s “sisters”, you know who you are, were her soulmates, coconspirators, and sometimes her lookalikes, so much so that people mixed them up all the time. Her grandchildren, though, were her entire world. To them, she was not just a grandmother, but a best friend. Ice cream was a food group, staying up late was mandatory, and the only rule was joy. She often said she loved the grandkids to the moon and back, but that was an understatement. Her love knew no bounds.

She cared about everyone’s everything. She included everyone. She built the best Christmas village, cooked every recipe to perfection (except coconut, which somehow always ended in flames), and could sew or mend anything you needed. She was endlessly talented but never boastful, though she glowed with pride when she won a first-place ribbon at a craft fair for her handmade jewelry. Her jewelry was as distinctive as her spirit, soulful, creative, and made to make people feel beautiful.

She sang loudly and wrongly to every song, week after week, while cleaning the house or making dinner. Lyrics? Optional. Dance moves? Always mismatched, but fully committed – secretly, we all loved it.

Her love story with Mike, her husband of 57 years, was legendary. They were inseparable, devoted, and wildly in love, a duo known for endless laughter, adoration, and, of course, epic adventures.

Terry was selfless and kind to the point it could be frustrating, relentless when defending her family, and the bravest person you could ever meet. She jumped out of bed after every heart surgery, determined to get back to the fun. She was a first-generation American who, near the end of her life, got to travel with her family to her parents’ homeland: a full-circle moment of love and legacy.

She loved with her whole heart (and mechanical valve). She made us laugh. She made us better. To honor her, we carry forward her lessons: Celebrate every moment. Create space for joy. Love fiercely. Do good. Be better. Mix bravery with kindness. And above all else, be there for those you love, no matter what.
Terry Parent was the ultimate badass, and her love will echo in all of us, always.

Donations in Terry’s honor can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. May this disease step on every Lego ever made.