Terry Dean Vancil

Terry Vancil, 78, of Portland, Oregon, passed away peacefully with his family by his side after a long battle with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.

Born in Portland, Oregon in 1948 to Robert and Vivian Vancil, Terry spent most of his youth growing up in the Westmoreland neighborhood. During the summers, Terry would often visit his family farm in LaGrange, Missouri which formed his deep passion for the St. Louis Cardinals.

After graduating from Cleveland HS in Portland, Terry served honorably in the United States Air Force as a Military Police Officer. He was stationed in both Colorado and Montana before deploying to Thailand at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Following his military duties, Terry returned to Portland and began his career as a firefighter with Washington County Fire District #1 in 1974 and retired from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue in 1999 after a 25-year career.

A devoted father and sports enthusiast, Terry coached both sons in baseball and basketball for many years.

Upon retirement, Terry enjoyed spending time with his family, golfing and traveling. Terry’s goals included playing every golf course in Oregon and visiting every National Park in the United States. Apart from crossing off a majority of the courses and parks on his list, Terry also traveled the globe with his wife, Chris. The couple’s favorite pastime was the many cruises they took around the world.

Terry was preceded in death by his father Robert and mother Vivian. He is survived by his wife of 49 years Christine, his sons Matthew (Angela) and Andrew (Amber), his two grandchildren , Leona and Archie, and sisters , Karen Toops and Cindy Barstad, along with many extended family members and friends who will miss him dearly.

Private Family Burial will be 3/24/2026 at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery at 10:30am. The Memorial Celebration of life will be 5/1/2026 at 11:00am at St. John Fisher Catholic Church in SW Portland.

In lieu of flowers donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of Oregon and SW Washington would be very much appreciated. www.alz.org/orswwa

Arrangements provided by;
threadgillmemorial.com