Terry Porter
Saturday
7
May

Visitation

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday, May 7, 2016
First United Methodist Church
149 West Main Street
Gallatin, Tennessee, United States
615-452-1922
Saturday
7
May

Memorial Service

7:00 pm - 7:45 pm
Saturday, May 7, 2016
First United Methodist Church
149 West Main Street
Gallatin, Tennessee, United States
615-452-1922

Obituary of Terry Porter

Terrence Earl Porter passed away on the morning of May 3rd, 2016 in the company of his loved ones in Nashville, Tennessee. Terry’s life is carried forward by his wife, Sherri Porter, children Kim Porter Smith and Austin Porter, grandson Kendrick, parents William and Barbara Porter, sisters Debi LaVoie (Paul) and Janet Powers, along with sibling in-laws Wayne McNeely (Shirley), Janis Miller (Phil), Linda Hipes (Blaine) and Bruce McNeely (Debbie) and his loving Nephews and Nieces. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Terry was destined to be adventurous and found sanctuary amongst the greatest of God’s creations, the great outdoors. Terry enjoyed growing up in northwest Arkansas upon where he developed his love for exploring nature in the Land of the Ozarks. During his childhood, Terry thrived on his admiration for his grandmother, Mimi, who he looked up to and shaped the man who he would grow to become. At an early age, he acquired a love of flying by spending time with his dad watching airplanes. Growing up, Terry shared many of his childhood adventures with his best friends Kenny Brock and Robert Sullivan, whom he loved dearly, and the three continued to experience life together as dear friends thereafter. As the middle sibling, Terry was a loving brother whom both his big sister Janet and little sister Debi could always turn to for love, protection, and guidance. Never afraid to venture into the wild, Terry leaned on his times as a young man in the Ozarks to launch a forestry career in which he would influence the lives of countless individuals. Terry spent his beginning years in forestry as a Timber Manager for Ozark Forest Products in northwest Arkansas, where he realized his dream of working where his love for nature and hard-working attitude would go hand in hand. Always dreaming big, Terry took a huge leap of faith in 1982 and accepted a position as Area Timber Manager for B.A. Mullican Lumber Company in Appalachia, VA, where he would work for 20 years. It was during this time that Terry mastered his craft and led some of his proudest projects, including the spearheading of multiple helicopter logging projects in the Appalachian Mountains in collaboration with Columbia Helicopters. With nearly 30 years of forestry knowledge in hand, Terry acted on his vision of owning his own company and started ForesTech Resource Solutions out of his new home in Castalian Springs, Tennessee. From the ground up, Terry worked tirelessly with his wife Sherri, and later Britt Townsend, to cultivate both existing and new relationships in which they would, using cutting edge forest technologies, help and educate fellow foresters on how to work efficiently in the environments they served. Throughout his work life, Terry was a teacher, a giver, and a champion to the forestry industry and was proud to serve as President of the Tennessee Forestry Association, contributor to Log-A-Load for Kids and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and a mentor to countless individuals aspiring to follow his career path. Terry met his wife Sherri when he was in the sixth grade, and both spent their childhoods together in Springdale, Arkansas. Childhood sweethearts, their love continued to blossom and they were married on June 14th. Terry and Sherri spent the first 22 years of marriage at their beautiful home in Stickleyville, Virginia, where they raised Kim and Austin and developed lifelong friendships. In 2001, Terry and Sherri moved to the Nashville, TN area and began a new chapter of life full of worldwide adventures together. They enjoyed traveling the world, seeing new places, sharing in once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and truly living life together. Terry and Sherri loved each other unconditionally and Sherri remained a constant in his life from childhood onward. Along with genuine love for his family and career, Terry had a heart for horses and developed a passion for team roping both with friends and in competition throughout the United States. He possessed a natural gift for working with horses, and is survived today by his favorite horse, his quarter-horse named Harry. Terry’s other hobbies that he enjoyed included flying airplanes, hiking the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, skiing, playing golf, spending time at Lake Norfork, going on couples’ excursions around the globe, and vacationing with his family in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Terry’s memorial service will be held at Gallatin First United Methodist Church on Saturday, May 7th, at 7:00 P.M., preceded by visitation at 6:00 P.M. Private interment will be at a Hidden Trace Farms in Franklin, TN. Memorial donations are requested to be made to TFA Log A Load For Kids at P.O. Box 290693 Nashville, Tennessee 37229 or you may choose to plant a tree in Terry’s honor.
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