Terry G. Engle

Terry Gene Engle was born in Emporia, Ks. to Walter Engle and Myrtle Ruby Web Brown. Walter was a machinist, and the family lived in Kansas City, Missouri. Terry wanted to be like his father and learned the trade under his father’s guidance. His sister, Phyllis Engle Simmons and Jim Curry, were born in this marriage. His half-sister is Mary Quissenberry, and half brother is Dale Engle.

When his father divorced Terry’s mother, he, his sister Phyllis, and his mother moved to the Ozarks outside of Noel, Missouri. They resided in a cabin with his grandparents without electricity. His mother remarried, and the new family became farmers. Terry dropped out of high school and lived with friends in Noel. His mother disapproved, contacted the local Air Force recruiter, and signed him up to serve.

Terry served in the Air Force from September 1957 to February 1961 as a Weapons Mechanic Airman. He loaded missiles into Air Force bombers. The Air Force stationed Terry to numerous Air Forces bases from Missouri to Anchorage, Alaska. His service stoked his love for “air shows”, sparking a hobby of making and flying remote control planes.

After being honorably discharged, Terry began his career as a welder and machinist, advancing his status working for a flurry of different companies far and wide.

Terry married three times and divorced twice. His children were Gene Allen Engle and Marion J Engle, who died at birth. His stepdaughters are Margaret, Sherry, Bridgette Dvorak Beebe, and Belinda Dvorak. Terry became Nathan Granner’s stepfather when he married Susan, raising Nathan till he left for college.

Terry’s last job was working for the Kansas City Star as a maintenance machinist. He worked on fixing the three story tall printing presses. Often broken or worn out parts had to be created or welded by hand. He had to cram his body into tight spaces from ground level to the top of the press. His workdays ended covered in different colored ink, his showers occasionally missed green, red or black ink blotches.  He was colorful!

Susan and Terry, amongst a group of close friends, married under crossed canoes on the banks of a river on July 8, 1988, during a special canoe trip in southern Missouri.

Traveling to airshows and airplane museums became Susan and Terry’s hobby.  Vacations started with a full-size van and ended with an RV. Susan took her bike and explored roads near the shows while Terry watched.

Terry and Susan moved from the suburbs to country life in Pleasant Hill, Mo.  Susan got two horses and Terry became a supportive horse husband.  He rode one of Susan’s horses once with a halter, no bridle, and begged to get off.

Terry’s loved restoring classic Chevy trucks and John Deere tractors.  When living in the city, he had a two car garage and the inside the solid wood fence to hide the parts of two or three truck bodies which he incorporated into one magnificent truck.  When he and Susan moved to Pleasant Hill, he started restoring John Deere tractors.  He loved going to car shows with his truck restorations. Terry had a big work shed on the property with a large acreage fencing to store his projects, which was not against any code in the country.

He retired from the Star newspaper on December 30, 2000. During his career at the Star, Terry developed a condition called Cerebellar Ataxia, which shrunk his cerebellum. Ataxia made him unsteady on his feet, distorted his vision, and slurred his speech. He started out using a cane, advanced to a walker, and finished in a wheelchair. His speech became difficult and finally impossible to understand. Diagnosis of the rare ataxia condition occurred a few years after he retired.

Life for Terry in Pleasant Hill became going out to restaurants in Pleasant Hill twice a day. His best life was eating at Big Creek Restaurant, The Wine Stop, and the Creamery. He enjoyed his time interacting with the owners, wait staff, and other customers for years. Life in a small town is a great life.

After the Ataxia, Terry was recently diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, which ended his life. Cancer.  He was made comfortable by the supportive and friendly staff of Pleasant Hill Health and Rehab Center. Terry received outstanding care and enjoyed the interactions with his nurses and caretakers.

Among the deep friendships and love he received from the good people of Pleasant Hill, special thanks goes to Dr. Pamela Davis for giving him an X-ray during a regular check-up and discovering his lung cancer. Also thanks to Dr. Jason Harper for determining the corrective eyeglass prescription needed to combat the vision problems caused by his disease.

The family of Terry Gene Engle will receive friends from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Thursday, May 19, 2022, at the Wallace Funeral Home in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Funeral Service will immediately follow at 4:00 p.m. with Rev. Kent Deubner officiating. Interment will be held on Monday, May 23, 2022, at the Pineville Cemetery in Pineville, Missouri.

In Memory of Terry Gene Engle, the family suggests contributions be made in his name to the charity of your choice.