Charles Terry

CHARLES FRANCIS TERRY

Iowa City

"May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live" were among Charles Francis Terry's final words to his family. His peaceful passing Oct. 10, 2014, at the age of 87 silenced a man who never knew a stranger and quickly befriended all he met.

Charles was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 16, 1927, one of nine children of Martin and Mary Terry. His sisters, Rosemary, Kathryn, Elizabeth and Margaret, and brothers, Billy and Martin, predeceased him.

He is survived by his sisters, Joan and Theresa.

He served in the United States Navy during World War II. His diving prowess caught the attention of the commanding officer. He quickly shipped to the Pacific Theatre where his swimming skills served him well as an underwater demolitions expert.

Returning to civilian life, Charles began a career as an ironworker in the building trades. He was a lifelong member of Ironworkers Local 361.

On Feb. 7, 1948, he married Grace Lacey, the girl across the street. Together they raised 12 children: Charles (Joyce), Robert (Barbara), James (Cindy), Timothy (Gretchen Rice), Brian (Roshini) , Kevin (Theresa), Donna Salem (Azzam) , Leonard (Gana), Christopher, Edmund (Corrinne), Gerard (Heather) and Michael (Patricia).

He is survived by 28 grandchildren: Sharon, Lynda, Nicholas, Maggie, Liam, Lila, Rosie, Christina, David, Shannon, Bridgit, Deema, Sarah, Munier, Ali, Tamir, Amina, Halle, John, James, Grace, Jack, Sam, Rebecca, Brian, Sara, Anna and Kevin; and four great-grandchildren: Madison, Emma, Kate and Rose-Marie.

Much of his career was spent working on the bridges that link the five boroughs. He was in charge of the Queensborough Bridge (aka: the 59th Street Bridge or Charlie's Bridge to his friends and family). He befriended many locals, such as Irving Berlin, Betsey Bloomingdale and Harry Morgan. His constant smile and engaging personality invited strangers to get to know him. To many he was simply known as Charlie, the guy with all the kids.

He was chosen to be one of the select Internal Affairs investigators for the city's building division. His knowledge and understanding of construction allowed him to advise city officials on many occasions, often receiving calls from Mayor Ed Koch with the question: "How are we doing Charlie?"

In response to increased city crime, he moved his family to Danbury, Conn., in 1972. A 40-minute commute became a three hour (125-mile) daily drive. For Charles, the benefit of providing his family a better life in a safer environment outweighed the burden.

At the invitation of Bob, California became home after retirement. For 15 years he and Grace enjoyed Bob's company and lots of sunshine. They returned to Connecticut in 1999 to be closer to family after Grace experienced numerous health setbacks.

In September 2000, the girl across the street (Grace) passed away in her sleep. He described her death as the "thief that came in the night." For the next 14 years he would mourn her passing.

In 2006, Tim and Gretchen invited him to live next door in Iowa City. Charles often remarked it was a choice between Iowa City or a garret in Paris. While he chose Iowa City, it became an unlikely place from which to conduct his world travels. The next eight years saw him spending 298 days traveling the seven seas. He loved to set sail and visit new ports. During his lifetime he traveled to 102 countries, many of them in his final years.

In addition to his wife, Grace, he was predeceased by his daughters-in-law, Cathy (Charles) and Debbie (Tim).

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Dr. Lisa Johnson, Iowa City Hospice, the staff of Mercy Iowa City and Father Ed Fitzpatrick for their support during the final days of Charles' life.

Funeral Mass will be 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Newman Center. Visitation will be Monday evening from 5:30 to 8 at Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service, with a 5:30 p.m. vigil in Iowa City. He will be interred, along with Grace, at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

The family requests donations be directed to Iowa City Hospice.

A metaphysician who never stopped questioning the nature of being, his final advice was "be happy in all the things you do."