Terry Wayne Sherwood, son of the late Lloyd Jr. and Cynthia Dix Sherwood, was born in Joplin, Missouri's Freeman Hospital, April 9, 1953. He spent most of his growing up in the small, southwest Missouri Ozarks town of Seneca, graduating from Seneca High School, class of 1971. Terry was the Frosh class Vice-president at then Missouri Southern College in Joplin, but enlisted into the U.S. Coast Guard the following year where he spent a career spanning 25 years. Trained a Radioman, later termed Telecommunications Specialist, he served as a high-speed Morse code operator during the Cold War years of the 70s, 80s and into the 90s worked with HF/VHF marine radio and satellite communications. He served at Coast Guard Radio Stations Miami, New Orleans, San Juan, Honolulu, and various Coast Guard cutters including DILIGENCE, ACUSHNET and DALLAS.In 1984, serving aboard the icebreaker POLAR SEA on a port-of-call in Vina del Mar, Chile, he met his future wife Etrid, who survives him. They made their home in Honolulu, Hawaii for 13 years where he managed high speed data networks in a Coast Guard district Communications Center, wrote planning manuals and conducted communications inspections at Coast Guard facilities throughout the Hawaiian Islands and Pacific area. He retired a Master Chief Petty Officer, Telecommunications Specialist at the 14th Coast Guard District Office in Honolulu, August 1997.
Upon military retirement he was appointed to Ke Kula Maka'i Police Academy in Honolulu and became a patrol officer in the Honolulu Police Department. Terry often reminisced about the few years he spent as a patrol officer as one of his favorite occupations. He left the force to pursue a bachelor's degree in business in San Francisco, California from the University of Phoenix, graduating with honors in 2002. Later that year, he settled his family in the Puget Sound area of Seattle, Washington where he was employed with various luxury market goods companies such as the German writing instrument company Montblanc, the French jeweler, Cartier, also Hermes of Paris, and finally retired with Swiss watchmaker, Omega. He remained active in Coast Guard affairs, serving on the Retiree's Board and with the Chief Petty Officers Association Seattle Chapter.
He fell in love with the sea and maintained an aquatic lifestyle living aboard various sail and motor vessels in his later years. He was a member and skipper in the Seattle Singles Yacht Club. An experienced, well travelled sailor, he adored his greatest treasures, his daughters, Ashley and Giselle who also survive him, in addition to son Damon Christopher Sherwood, from a brief earlier marriage.
