Terry Dolores Pugh's Obituary
Terry Dolores Pugh, age 89, of Marietta, Georgia, passed away surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, January 29, 2023. Terry is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Dr. David and Jayne Pugh of Waverly, AL; daughter and son-in-law, Helen and Cliff Durrence of Marietta; son and daughter-in-law, Attorney Joel and Ellen Pugh of Marietta; eight grandchildren and their spouses, Rebekah and Brent Beal, Natalie and Aaron Stephens, Dylan and Chasity, Cole, Ethan, and Caroline Pugh, and Amy and Erick, and Ross and Amanda Durrence; seven great-grandchildren, Ella, Lane, Leah, Eli, David King, Lydia Queen, and Jack; cousins, and nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 53 years, Jack Pugh, her parents, Raymond and Helen Richards; her brother Finney Richards; her Aunt Imogene Bryant, and her grandparents Charles and Lena Richards, whom she lived with as a child and loved dearly.
Terry lived an incredible life. She was born during the Great Depression in Bowling Green, Kentucky in November of 1933, and had fond memories of the time she spent as a child on her grandparents’ farm. In 1951, at age 17, she joined the U.S. Air Force, and completed her basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. She then moved to Sacramento, California, where she was the first woman stationed at McClellan Air Force Base. She met and married the love of her life, Jack, in Sacramento in 1952, and they remained married until his death in 2005.
After her honorable discharge from the Air Force, Terry and Jack moved to Atlanta, where they started their family. Terry, Jack and their family ultimately settled in Mableton, where, for many years, they were active members of Mount Harmony Baptist Church as well as their close-knit neighborhood of family and friends on Lakeshore Drive. Terry was a gifted artist, and her family treasures her many original paintings. Terry went to college later in life and graduated from Georgia State University in 1995 at age 62, with a degree in Business.
Terry raised her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with a fierce faith in God, a love for and devotion to family and friends, a commitment to helping others (she was a long-time member of the Lost Mountain Golden Kiwanis Club), and (for the grandkids) a steady diet of apples and peanut butter and her trademarked Chippy and Choppy bedtime stories.
Terry’s faith in God, love for her family, and her incredible strength, resilience, and courage were and will continue to be a blessing, comfort, and inspiration to her family and everyone who knew her.
The family will receive friends on Friday, February 3, 2023, at Noon at Davis-Struempf Funeral Home in Austell to celebrate Terry’s life and memory. Funeral services will be held immediately afterwards at 1:00 PM in the chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Calvary Children’s Home.
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