Thomas H. Terrell Obituary 30 Oct 1934 – 15 Jan 2023

Thomas H. Terrell, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away Sunday afternoon, January 15th, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1934 at home to a strong, independent mother, Alice, whom he adored. He was encouraged to work and study hard from an early age and spent his summers in south Georgia with a large extended southern family working on their farm and learning the importance of family - a value which would come to define his life.

He graduated from Hapeville High School in Atlanta in 1952 where he played football, ran track, and was a Cadet Colonel in the R.O.T.C. He played amateur basketball and they were league champs for three years in a row. He also played league baseball and was named Captain of the All Star baseball team and later went on to play Fast Pitch Softball. In five years of baseball and softball he never struck out - he was a natural born hitter. It was clear early on that sports would play an important role throughout his life. Following high school, he was offered a football scholarship at The University of the South in Tennessee as well as Georgia Tech but didn't take these offers. Instead, he stayed home to help his mother - family needed him.

In 1956 he volunteered for two years of active duty in the Navy, which took him to many ports around the world and he was proud to serve his country. Upon his return, he went to visit his cousin, Mary Martha Blackmon in Lynchburg, S.C. She arranged a blind date with her best friend, Elizabeth Ann Josey. They went out seven nights in a row and were married six months later on June 15, 1958. He described it as "Love at first sight".

They settled in Atlanta next door to his mother and welcomed two children, Tommy in November, 1959 and Laura Lynn in July, 1963. He found time to attend Georgia State University where he received a double major in Accounting and Real Estate in 1961. He later received a law degree from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta in 1966.

He was employed by the Housing and Home Finance Agency in Atlanta in 1961 with a focus on Urban Renewal. In 1966 he was recruited to join the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington, DC. He spent the next 40 years working at HUD on critical task forces, served as a liaison with government officials on key housing policies and participated in appropriation committees that allocated much needed funds and grants around the country.

In making the move to Washington, Thomas and Lib chose to settle in Arlington, Virginia, which was life changing for the entire family. It allowed us to experience and build an extended family through our church, neighbors, schools, sports and scouting. Thomas and Lib participated actively in all of it and helped lead many of these important community activities and institutions. Their example along with the families we met in Arlington taught us so much about how to live and how to make a difference in the lives of others, particularly young people.

Thomas literally spent decades working with young people in Arlington through scouting and sports in particular. Early on he reactivated a cub scout pack in Arlington and worked to rebuild it. He served as Scoutmaster of Troop 648, provided merit badge counseling, and planned and led training for new leaders for years. He was honored for his work.

For many years, he coached Arlington County Little League baseball, basketball and football and won numerous county championships. In addition, he served as co-director of the Saturday Morning Basketball Clinic for boys and girls (ages 8-13) for 13 years. The clinic started with less than 10 participants and grew to 275 participants annually. The clinic was designed to ensure that everyone had maximum participation as a player. He also served as Co-Director of the Saturday Morning Football League for eight years. Every participant played every minute of each scheduled game of tackle football. These clinics gave young people a guaranteed opportunity to be part of something positive. They were able to experience a team environment, learn discipline, trust, and created lifelong friendships and extended families.

It is difficult to estimate the total number of young people these programs impacted but it was a calling for Thomas and the other leaders who created these programs. He was honored for his work in scouting and in 1974 was selected as the Arlington County Coach of the Year by the Better Sports Club of Arlington County. These accolades were humbling, but he truly treasured following the lives of the young people he was privileged to meet. Many have stayed in touch and reached out to him periodically to share memories and updates on their lives - this gave him great joy.

He remained devoted to family throughout his life - his immediate family and extended family. He always put others' needs ahead of his own - he wanted to ensure those around him were taken care of before him. He loved unconditionally and he would want us to take care of each other and the people we call family going forward- those we are related to and those we have chosen to call family.

Thomas is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Ann Josey Terrell; son Thomas R. Terrell and his wife Lori of Callao, VA; daughter Lynn Terrell Hunter and her husband Eric of Centreville, VA; grandchildren Ashley (Michael) Costello; Thomas (Olivia) Terrell Jr.; Katherine “Katie” Elizabeth Hunter and John Edward Hunter; and great-grandson Thomas Robert Terrell III (Tripp). Also surviving are his nieces Kathy Bognovitz and Patty Floyd.

In addition to his parents, Thomas was preceded in death by his brothers, Robert Terrell and Charles Turner.

On behalf of the Terrell family, and if you are so inclined, we are encouraging donations to the Alzheimer's Association. There will be a visitation on Saturday, January 28th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and a service on Sunday, January 29th at 1:00 p.m. Both the visitation and the service will take place at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home.