William "Bill" Terry

WILLIAM LEAKE TERRY, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who served in World War II, loved the outdoors in Arkansas, and kept an office at the Friday Firm until he was 92, died peacefully, surrounded by his family's love, on December 25, 2016, in Little Rock. He was 94. During his remarkable life, he was widely known for his spirit of kindness and his unwavering support for others. Bill Terry was born at home at the Pike-Fletcher-Terry House at 411 E. 7th Street in downtown Little Rock on October 11, 1922. He was the fourth child of David Dickson Terry, an attorney and U.S. Congressman from 1933 to 1943, and Adolphine Fletcher Terry, a public servant and community activist. At a physician's recommendation, the family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1930 so Bill could recover from a serious bout with pneumonia. They lived on Canyon Road and enjoyed many adventures during Bill's recovery. Healthy and back at home in Little Rock after a year in the southwest, Bill attended Kramer Elementary School and East Side Junior High. He was a member of Boy Scout Troop #5; one of his scoutmasters was his lifelong friend A. H. (Howard) Stebbins. Growing up at the Terry House provided the backdrop for a magical childhood; Bill once said that the yard "was just a beehive of baseball games and touch football games with the neighborhood kids." He and his gang of friends—Sandy McDonnell, Junie Lincoln, and Bobby Bradford—had a tree climbing club and were involved in many forms of mischief. Once, they organized a boat trip on the Arkansas River. The adventure started above Russellville in a jon boat with an outboard motor, and the boys camped on sandbars along the way until they ended back in Little Rock. Bill enrolled at St. Albans School in Washington, DC, in 1936. Bill always said he was slow to fit in at St. Albans, but he eventually thrived. He served as an acolyte at the National Cathedral, was elected Senior Prefect, and received the Thomas Hyde Medal, awarded to the best all-around boy. His favorite sport was tennis, but his father encouraged him to play a team sport so he would make more friends. Bill took his father's advice. In his senior year, he received the Robert Rice Award, given to the best all-around athlete, for playing on the school's football, basketball, and baseball teams. From 1941 to 1943, Bill attended Princeton University. He withdrew to join the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Stationed at Thetford, England, he served in the European Theatre with the 8th Air Force, 388th Bomb Group as an aerial gunner on a B-17 "Flying Fortress," completing 34 missions between March and August 1944. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters. After his return home, he married Elizabeth Marie Kilbury—known as Betty—on June 20, 1947, at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. He completed his studies at the University of Arkansas, earning a B.S. in Business Administration in 1948 and a Bachelor of Law in 1950. He was a Sigma Chi at the University. Following graduation from law school, Bill clerked for Arkansas Supreme Court Justice George Rose Smith and worked for the Arkansas State Highway Department. In 1954, he became the ninth attorney to join the firm of Mehaffy, Smith & Williams—now Friday, Eldredge & Clark—and began a long and distinguished practice with a focus on commercial-property transactions and real estate. He retired from full-time practice in 1988 but continued to be of counsel to the firm until 2014. Over the years, he frequently visited with the summer clerks and young attorneys about the firm's history and his career, and he was looked up to as a role model at the office. He was a member of the Pulaski County Bar Association (serving as president in 1977–78), the Arkansas Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. In 1993, he was presented the Lawyer-Citizen Award by the Pulaski County Bar Association. In 2012, the Pulaski County Bar Foundation honored him as an Ike Scott Fellow. He was a member of Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity. He served as a reservist with the Air Force Jag for many years and was appointed by President Clinton to the Arkansas Committee of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve advocating for citizen warriors' employment and benefits and finally retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Bill is survived by Betty; daughter Beth Foti and her husband Tom; daughter Ellen Terry; daughter Susan Borné and her husband Robin; grandson Fletcher Foti and his wife Kerry Fleisher; granddaughter Eliza Borné and her husband John Williams; and granddaughter Rachael Borné. He was predeceased by his parents, brothers David Terry, Jr., and Joseph Terry, and sisters Sally Plumber and Mary Terry. Betty and Bill enjoyed a wonderful life. Their favorite activities were tennis—which they played regularly into their eighties—and travel, especially to National Parks in the United States and to wonders around the world. With their legendary couples hiking group, Betty and Bill enjoyed hiking trips out west and in Canada, England, Scotland, and France. Bill's favorite destinations were the western canyons, U.S. Civil War battlefields, and the ancient sites of Egypt and Greece. Alongside his father and many friends, Bill grew up enjoying the duck woods near Gillett on Mill Bayou at Tuff Nut Hunting Club. It was at Tuff Nut where he introduced a passion for duck hunting to his sons-in-law Tom and Robin. He was especially proud that he had paddled the length of the Buffalo River and said he was only sorry he took up canoeing late in life. Bill held leadership roles in many community organizations, including Trinity Episcopal Cathedral where he served as Senior Warden of the Vestry, The Cathedral School, All Saints Episcopal School (Vicksburg, MS), Arkansas Arts Center, Kiwanis Club, Senior Citizens Activities Today, YWCA (he was inducted into the Arkansas Swimmers Hall of Fame), United Way of Pulaski County, City Beautiful Commission, Quapaw Quarter Association, Arkansas Arts and Humanities Commission, Visiting Nurses Association, and Little Rock Historic District Commission. In more recent years, he served at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, the Central Arkansas Library System, and the Arkansas River Historical Society in Catoosa, Okla. He showed unwavering support for downtown Little Rock and served for many years with Little Rock Unlimited Progress—Little Rock Up—and was a member of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership. He was a wonderful father to his three daughters and was the best Grandado in the world. He provided endless opportunities for fun and enrichment at the beach in Destin, Fla.; at "the condo" at Eden Isle on Greers Ferry Lake; at family weekends at "the Duck Camp" in Gillett; and on many trips near and far. He was as proud as he could be of his grandchildren and their happiness and success. Bill was a lifelong fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks. He liked to say, "I'm proud to be an Arkansas citizen and an Arkansas Razorback." The last year of his life was spent with Betty at Presbyterian Village, where they were able to live independently because of the exceptionally caring staff. The family will be forever grateful. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral; the Arkansas Arts Center's fund for the Pike-Fletcher-Terry House (P.O. Box 2137, Little Rock, Ark. 72203-2137); or the Arkansas Nature Conservancy (601 N. University, Little Rock, Ark. 72205). Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2016, at Ruebel Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on Thursday, December 29, 2016, at 10 a.m. with The Very Rev. Dr. Christoph Keller, III officiating, followed by burial at Mount Holly Cemetery. Arrangements are by Ruebel Funeral Home. www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.