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1943 - 2008
Age: 65
TERRILL, Rodney E.
of Marcellus
Rod passed away Sunday, September 7, 2008. He was born June 11, 1943, in Kalamazoo, the son of the late Elmer A. "Bus" and Genevieve "Pete" (Gates) Terrill. Rod grew up in Marcellus, where he began his lifelong passion for sports. He graduated from Marcellus High School in 1962 and Western Michigan University in 1968. Rod was a multi-sport athletic official for the MHSAA for over 45 years. He was a certified trainer, coach and mentor to many young athletes. He was a member of National Association of Sports Officials and president of the Tri-county Officials Association. Rod enjoyed many things in life, including the Tigers, the Lions, and fishing. He was a true people person, but what he enjoyed most was being with his wife and family. On September1, 1963 in Vicksburg, Rod was united in marriage to Mary E. Tolhuizen. They recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. Rod is survived by his wife, Mary; son Matt (Jackie) Terrill of Kalamazoo; daughter, Stephanie (Sean) Davis of Kalamazoo; 5 grandchildren: Jame, Lucas, Nora, Brett and Genevieve; twin brother Ron (Marlene) Terrill of Marcellus; step-mother, Pauline Terrill of Lake Placid, FL; numerous aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews. Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. at the Adams Funeral Home, Paw Paw, where a memorial service will be held Thursday, 11 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association. |
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There are currently 16 condolences.
Marilyn Tolhuizen
Saturday September 13, 2008 at
2:00 PM
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Excerpt from the Michael Combs novel "Ten Days with an Angel"
Forever Our Love Exists
In an instant, a life is conceived.
Stitched together in the Womb&he is named before his birth.
Closer to heaven, than men care to acknowledge&
Farther from sin, than men care to admit.
Born into a cruel world, the baby cries.
Cool air, bright light, sounds that are no longer stifled&
These are the welcoming calls that usher him into his new world.
These are the realities of his new dawn.
He eats,
He sleeps,
He wonders&
He grows into a boy.
He stumbles,
He laughs,
And as he seeks more than what he has&
He learns to run.
Hunger is common,
Fullness is never rare.
Learning is normal,
Fear and comfort become his guides for life.
He learns of love,
He learns of hate,
He learns of sadness,
He learns of humility.
He lies,
He sins.
He forgives,
And he learns to accept the thoughts of want.
The boy grows nearly every day.
His feet cause him to stumble.
He watches, and continues to learn.
He seeks not wisdom, but experience becomes his hunger, and his passion.
Soon he is a man,
His boyish ways fall behind him.
Looking back, he yearns&
Yet looking forward, he aches.
He works, and struggles to survive.
This life, however grand, comes with a price.
He learns to want for more,
He learns to compete.
Arriving to fulfill his days, comes his soul mate.
He finds his spouse to complete his life.
They walk together from their marriage day forward.
He is not to experience loneliness again.
The reward of life comes with children.
Small lives eager to learn, and love.
He remembers, what it was like,
He longs once again for those simple days.
Life brings challenges,
And Life brings rewards.
He finds that stumbling now brings wisdom,
And wisdom becomes his compass.
But, what does a life represent?
Can it be measured by days, or years?
Oh please, let it not be so!
Let us instead celebrate our lives by finding a way to measure charity and faithfulness!
He scours the horizons,
Only to find them ever eternal.
No matter where he goes,
The sun continues to rise and set&filling his days with the measurement of time.
How can life be this simple?
Certainly there must be more!
He seeks to know knowledge.
He ponders his very existence.
Standing tall, he confronts his own reality.
In his search, the path ultimately leads to a higher being&
for he finds that he can not know himself&
until he knows God.
Oh life&why am I here?
Might I be granted a purpose for my existence?
Why must I learn to accept myself first?
Why must I seek more knowledge, when it is wisdom that escapes me?
A heart beats&counting out the rhythms of life.
Yet found even deeper within, it is discovered that the heart contains love.
It becomes the only part of a man that remains as pure as heaven.
It is constantly, and ever ready to overpower evil.
The heart is a mans ultimate dictator.
Once given authority, it rules his life&
Dominating the decisions of love and happiness&
Forcing a man to succumb to the simplest of pleasures.
Yet, when the beating of his heart stops&
when the muscles can no longer contract&
and when his soul departs this world&
There remains behind something that endures forever,
Within that mans life, however short&
there is found an immeasurable greatness that is sometimes deeply hidden,
and is sometimes left open for all to partake in:
It is his love.
Love that was his to give, or love that he chose to withhold.
Love that he sought from others, but discovered from within.
His love endured through all of the measurable,
and prevailed over that which was immeasurable.
When not a single thought was left,
and when a tear could no longer fall&
his life was ultimately measured by his love.
When the light no longer struck his eyes,
And music became silent to his ears&
His life was ultimately measured by his love.
When his mornings no longer existed,
and his evenings were left for another to enjoy&
his life was ultimately measured by his love.
Cold life!
Happy life!
Frustrating life!
Beautiful life!
His life was a truly a gift.
His life endured eternity.
His life made us wonder,
and look within ourselves.
Lord, grant me one more day.
Let me take this day, and waste it not&
But instead, let me use this day for the betterment of myself,
and ultimately for the betterment of others.
Let me strike a harmonious chord with my brothers,
Let me sing from my heart!
Let me dance from my soul!
And Lord, if this day shall end up to be my last,
Then let my last act be one of love, and of kindness.
And Lord, if yesterday was my last day to gaze upon the sun and the hills,
Then let my brothers think highly enough of me to lower me gently into my grave.
Let the remembrance of me cause a tear¬ for what I gave, or what I accomplished.
But Lord, above all else&may I be remembered for how I loved.
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Gary and Marlene Beard
Thursday September 11, 2008 at
6:01 PM
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Mary and Family,
We were so sorry to hear about Rod
We always liked and respected Rod,and Gary had him in school at Marcellus...as a 6th,7th, and 8th grader.Mary, you and your family will be in our prayers.
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Joe & Connie Edgley
Thursday September 11, 2008 at
10:05 AM
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Steph, we are sorry to hear of your loss, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
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Michael & Lara Fisher
Wednesday September 10, 2008 at
11:30 PM
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We are very sorry to hear about your loss. He was a tremendous coach, mentor and friend to me and my family. He has touched the lives and been a positive role model to thousands of young adults, as they grew up participating in H.S. Sports in Southwestern Michigan. May you find comfort in knowing, that he is on a field somewhere in heaven, doing what he loves to do.
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Jennifer (Witt) Lesterhouse
Wednesday September 10, 2008 at
11:05 PM
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Steph and family-
Mr. Terrill will be missed by everyone who knew him. Mackenzie will miss how Jamie's grandpa was always funny. Please know you are all in my thoughts and I am so very sorry about your loss.
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Mark Edwards
kazoo40298@comcast.net
Wednesday September 10, 2008 at
1:37 PM
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I'm very saddened to hear of Rods passing. I will keep Rod and his family in my prayers. Rod was my coach and gym teacher at St. Augustines in the late 60's. He was looked up too by all. You never wanted him to pass you doing laps in the gym, because that ment you had more laps to run. A great guy who will be missed by all that knew him.
Mark Edwards
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Dennis Myers
Wednesday September 10, 2008 at
1:37 PM
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Mary and family
I am so sad at the lost of Rod. He was a great friend. My prayers are with you all, and they will not end soon. May God grant you peace, and comfort during this most difficult time.
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Denny La Point
Wednesday September 10, 2008 at
11:54 AM
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Mary,
Sorry for your loss. We miss you here at Comstock High School.
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Pamela 'Miller' Perry
PammPerry@msn.com
Wednesday September 10, 2008 at
10:23 AM
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I went to school with Rodney and was saddened to hear of his early passing. I am so very sorry for the great loss to his family and will keep you all in my prayers. God Bless
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Reid Jones
jones_reid@yahoo.com
Wednesday September 10, 2008 at
8:35 AM
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Sorry for your loss. Rod was a good man.
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John Fisher
Wednesday September 10, 2008 at
5:51 AM
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So very sorry. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Rod was a great personality to be around. I am greatful for the time he shared with me and my family. He will be missed by many.
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Cheri, Emily and Haley
Tuesday September 9, 2008 at
10:32 PM
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(Aunt) Mary, Matt & Jackie, Steph and Sean, Even though we can't be there with you this week. We are thinking about you and praying for you. We will miss (Uncle) Rod and all the teasing he gave us, along with the boat rides and sports talk. We love you! Cheri, Emily and Haley
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Elaine Brinkert and Kathy Palmer
Tuesday September 9, 2008 at
9:09 PM
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Mary, we were so sorry to hear about Rod. We want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. I wish there was something I could say or do to make the pain go away.
Elaine & Kathy
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Tom and Linda Cody
lcody2007@yahoo.com
Tuesday September 9, 2008 at
4:28 PM
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Ron and Marlene:
We would like to send our most sincere sympathy on the loss of Ron's brother. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Tom and Linda Cody
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Cheryl DeBoer
Tuesday September 9, 2008 at
2:11 PM
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Steph,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.
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Becky Bil
Tuesday September 9, 2008 at
12:32 PM
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Matt and Jackie,
So sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Becky Bil
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