John David Terrell

John David Terrell, age 72, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. He was born in Troy. Alabama to the late David Washington and Nellie Lee Windham Terrell. He was the husband of 26 years to Donna Allison Terrell who survives.

Anyone who knew John Terrell will agree that he was one of a kind with a crazy personality and the gift of gab. He never met a stranger and could carry on a lengthy conversation with anyone anywhere. He could chat about most any topic and was never at a loss for words. 

John was a man with many interests, hobbies and talents. He was in his element tinkering and fixing things. If he couldn't fix it, he had a knack for "rigging" it. He was an autobody repairman for most of his life, working at his father's body repair shop from a young teenager until it closed after his dad's death. He drove the shop's wrecker, did estimates, repaired and painted cars. He continued his trade at various dealerships around the county with the majority of his time employed by Bill Ingold Burlington Lincoln Mercury. As it became physically harder for him to continue this line of work, he began a second career working for the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in the Public Safety Department. He worked there for more than 10 years before he retired.

John was an avid gardener and grew an abundance of different varieties of vegetables which he shared with family, neighbors, friends and his church family. He had pet dogs all his life and loved all animals. He refused to kill any of them. He loved fishing, but a hunter he was not. He loved watching birds and learned the names of the many varieties seen in his yard. He built blue bird houses and had multiple bird feeders. He could identify not only the names of the birds but also came to recognize most of their sounds. He could even whistle a really good imitation of lots of their calls. He also thoroughly enjoyed working in his yard, planting trees, bushes and flowers. He loved to sit on his porch to watch the beauty that God provided for him to cultivate and enjoy. He loved astronomy and could identify many of the constellations he gazed at through his telescope. He enjoyed anything weather related. He was an official local weather spotter and reported storm activity around the area. As a licensed ham radio operator, he would canvas roads for ice, flooding or dangerous conditions. Over the years he often traveled to locations where communications were down after extreme weather conditions and then used his ham radio to send messages and report issues. He talked to people all over the world and kept records of those communications. He was so proud of this hobby and of using it to help people in distress. It was a perfect hobby for a gifted talker like John.

John loved coin collecting and going to auctions. He could always scout out a deal and collected lots of things, including Coca Cola and Pepsi memorabilia and signs. He displayed lots of his finds and loved to show his collection to others. He was a great cook, learning what he called "old timey" cooking from his mother. He loved history and watching documentaries. 

John was a U. S. Army veteran, serving most of his time in Vincenza, Italy. He loved being in the military and was in his element working with electronics and using his radio communication skills. He frequently talked about his time in the Army and had multiple stories to tell of his adventures throughout Italy. He interacted with the locals, enjoyed authentic Italian food, and learned some of the language. He was privileged to be able to visit several countries near Italy, "trying" to snow ski in the Alps of Switzerland and attending the winter Olympics in Austria. Although his assignment was often dangerous, he was extremely thankful that God spared him from heading into Vietnam's active war zone. He carried his time of service to his country close in his heart. John was a very proud veteran. 

John loved his family. He and his daughter, Lindsey, were best buddies. He was always supporting whatever endeavor she was involved in and was proud to be a girl dad. With a crazy dad like John, she learned to enjoy rather than just endure his antics. As John integrated into his second family, his step-kids then became joint recipients of his craziness and practical jokes. 

John loved children, possibly because he was a big kid himself. He was there when all of his six grandchildren were born and was so proud to be called "Papa John". After he got older, he often let his beard grow out in time for the Christmas holidays. With a long white curly beard, children would follow him around stores and restaurants, calling him Santa Clause and telling him what they wanted for Christmas. He always played along and enjoying playing the part of the jolly old man.

One of John's biggest loves was music. It was an integral part of him from an early age. He taught himself to play the guitar and was an extremely talented musician. He loved to sing and often wrote his own songs, both the tunes and the words. He was a devoted choir member beginning with youth choir and then throughout his adult life. Music was a love language to John, and he never lost his deep passion for it.

John's love for his family and music were second only to his love for his Lord. John became a born-again Christian at the age of 17. He deeply and completely gave himself to the Lord and to the Lord's service. He loved to study his Bible and delve into the scriptures. While a member of Haw River Baptist Church, he served as a deacon (sometimes as its chairman), and was a member of the choir. He taught children and youth Sunday School for years. He was a Royal Ambassador (RA)leader, teaching young boys about missions over the world and helping them to learn and memorize scripture. 

For the last 25+ years, John was a member of Glen Hope Baptist Church and loved serving there as well. He was a member of the Empty-Nesters Sunday School Class. He again used his musical talents singing in the regular adult choir. Also a member of the Senior Choir, he joined in singing at nursing homes throughout the local area. 

John had a love for spreading God's word and had a special heart for the people of Vermont, the second least "churched" state in the U. S. He traveled 7 times with Glen Hope's mission teams to Vermont, where they sang at various churches, nursing homes, adult day care centers, and soup kitchens. He often played his guitar at sing-alongs. His friendly and easy-going ways drew him to people who then found themselves listening to his personal testimony about God's importance in his life. John was dedicated to the mission of spreading the Word of God in Vermont, yet would often laugh and refer to himself as the van driver and "roadie". Many of the team were members of Glen Hope's handbell ensemble, and so big cases of handbells and equipment had to be transported in and out of all the places on that year's schedule. So although John made a joke of it, being a "roadie" was a definite contribution to Glen Hope's Vermont trips. 

John's love of God and heart for missions also led him to be a part of a new church plant in the Snow Camp area of southern Alamance County. Again, he played his guitar and helped to lead in worship. He worked with the young boys of the area as the RA leader. He shared his love of the scripture, explaining verses and how to apply them to daily life in a way they understood. The boys also loved all the activities John planned for them and frequently brought along their unchurched friends for the fun stuff. In this way, John was able to introduce young boys to God's word and teach them about Jesus. Due to the efforts of many, Snow Camp Baptist Church added new members and believers and became a functioning, growing church. After two years of ministry at Snow Camp, John and Donna felt comfortable in returning to serve at Glen Hope once again. 

As his physical health deteriorated and his ability to communicate at times became harder, that "old" John with his crazy personality could often still be seen. He had his times of depression and unhappiness at not being able to walk anymore and of not being able to be at home. He could sometimes be impatient and a challenge to care for. But as many of the staff at White Oak learned of his passing, they told stories of how they loved him, how crazy he was, and what a light he was in a typically depressing place. Donna heard him called a teddy bear, an Alabama home boy, and a best friend. They told of him singing and joking with them and with other residents on his hall. As with everyone, he had some rough days and didn't always handle things quite as he should, but he was always quick to apologize and return to his natural, humorous self. 

John Terrell was a man with a bigger than life personality. He loved people, his family, and his God. He loved to laugh, play jokes, sing, and share his Savior with whoever would listen. It was not unusual to find him praying while holding the hand of a complete stranger he'd just met who had confided in him and asked for prayer. He made a big impact on the lives of all he came in contact with. He always had a smile on his face and loved to put a smile on the faces of others. He was loved by many and will be truly missed. John was not perfect, but he lived a good life, and when he stands before the Lord will no doubt be called "a good and faithful servant".

In addition to his wife of the home, he is survived by his daughter, Lindsey Jeffries and her husband, Brad; his step daughter, Leslie Poplin Ray and his step son, Spencer Poplin and wife, Staci; grandchildren, Allison Ray, Evan Jeffries, Ethan Poplin, Addie Jeffries, Logan Poplin and Cayson Poplin; his sister, Cathy Terrell Qualls; his brother, Jimmy Terrell and his brother-in-law, Ray Timmons; his nephew, Timothy Timmons and his niece, Sarah (Josh) Pate. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Barbara Terrell Timmons and his mother and father-in-law, Vernon and Frances Allison.

A service to celebrate John’s life will be held at 3PM on Sunday, February 2, 2025 at Glen Hope Baptist Church by Pastor Lewis Baber and Pastor Kevin Brown. The family will be receiving friends from 1-2:45PM prior to the service at the church and other times at the home. Military honors will be provided by the US Army color guard at the conclusion of the church service and a graveside service will follow at Gibsonville City Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Glen Hope Baptist Church, 911 North Avenue, Burlington, NC 27217.