Terry Gene Ivey was born April 8, 1966, in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, and returned to the Lord on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.
At the age of two, Terry was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic. Despite his health issues, he was an all around athlete and played football, basketball and baseball in high school. Terry graduated from Konawa High School in 1985 and upon graduation entered East Central University. During his freshman year of college, he was hit by a drunk driver while returning from a game. The wreck almost claimed his life, but he eventually recovered after many months of rehabilitation that required him to re-learn how to walk. The perseverance and resilience he acquired from his experiences remained with him throughout the rest of his life. Instead of being bitter and resenting his hardships, his adversity instilled within him a deep appreciation for life and a love for serving the Lord.
Terry worked at various times in life as a teacher in correctional centers and as a preacher in Kansas, having surrendered to serving the Lord in 1986. Outside of these, Terry’s passions included everything related to sports. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, noodler, and OU Sooner football fan. The fall season would regularly find him torn between hunting and football seasons.
In 2017, Terry was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and was given two months to live. He refused this death sentence and fought the cancer, surviving for more than four years and constantly spreading his story of survival and God’s salvation.
He is survived by his parents, Bill and Jo Ann Ivey, of Edmond; sister, Tammy Heard and partner, Linda Hoffeditz of Del City, Oklahoma; niece, Stacey Timmons and husband, Cody, of Edmond; great nieces, Piper and Ava Timmons; and multiple aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Funeral services were held Saturday, July 31, 2021, at Waterloo Road Baptist Church, Edmond, with Bro. Heath Tucker officiating. Burial followed in the Maysville Cemetery under the direction of Winans Funeral Home, Maysville, Oklahoma. Words of comfort may be sent to the family at www.winansfuneralhome.com.
