Terry Blaine

Terry Blaine, age 69 passed away on July 16, 2013 at Loyola Hospital in Maywood, Illinois. He fought a brave year-long battle against brain cancer and lung cancer. He is preceded in death by his parents Howard and Lucille, and his sister Bette. He is survived by his wife Kathy, two daughters Kelly and Stacy, and his sister Barbara Adams, Mother-in-law Donna Lund and sister-in-law Kristin Lund and nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, July 24, 2013 from 10-11am. Service will be held at 11am. Chapel Hill Garden West Funeral Home 17W201 Roosevelt Road, Oakbrook Terrace IL. 60181.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the American Cancer Society, Stand Up To Cancer, or donate to the charity of your choice.

For more information, call 630-941-5860, or visit chapelhillgardenwestfuneralhome.com.

Terry Blaine was a wonderful man with a warm and friendly personality. He was gentle, and he loved life. He was analytical and observant, with an ability to be simultaneously spontaneous and keenly perceptive. Terry was modest, quiet, and reserved. When Terry said something, you knew he meant it.

Terry was born to Howard and Lucille in 1943. He was raised in both Cicero and Westchester, Illinois, and he grew up with two older sisters, Barbara and Bette. Even as a small child, Terry wanted to understand what was right and what was wrong in any given situation. As Terry grew older, he realized the importance of being treated fairly, and in return, he treated everyone around him the same way. Despite his reserved nature, he maintained and enjoyed lifelong friendships.

During his childhood, family and friends viewed Terry as a quiet and reserved person with an easy- going demeanor. A great deal of Terry's free time was spent learning how and why the things around him worked. He was an active child who loved being outdoors and enjoyed nature. He played many sports, and he was a Boy Scout. Terry loved animals and his favorite pet was Duchess, a black Cocker Spaniel. They were best friends for 13 years. He could often be found at the local swimming pool, the local movie theater, or the grocery store's soda fountain with his best friend, Paul Harshbarger.

Terry had a curious nature while he was in school. He relished the task of scrutinizing problems, investigating all of the options, and then solving them. He enjoyed tackling a project and working it straight through to its conclusion. Experience was Terry's best teacher. He graduated from Proviso West High School in 1961 as a member of the school's first graduating class. He played football, tennis, and basketball, and was a member of the Letterman's Club.

Terry completed almost 3 years of college before he was drafted by the army. He attended both Wright Junior College and the University of Illinois, where he participated in gymnastics. Terry was an analytical and an independent thinker, qualities that allowed him to develop and implement effective strategies and techniques to meet any challenges. He was an Army Veteran, and he understood his duty to serve his country and the importance of getting a job done. He served in the Army from 1967 to 1971, and was stationed for a time in Germany where he worked as a helicopter mechanic.

On August 16, 1969, Terry exchanged wedding vows with Kathy Ann Lund at St. John's Lutheran Church of Bellwood, IL. As their family grew, Terry was easily able to adapt to the changes and challenges of parenthood. Terry was blessed with two daughters, Kelly and Stacy. Terry was a strong, clear communicator who excelled at eliminating confusion by making matters crystal clear to all those involved. Rarely did he have to count past "5".

In his work life, Terry was the kind of person who had no difficulty in taking on a project and seeing it through to its completion. He excelled at dealing with those pesky details that can derail some people, and once he understood exactly why he was working on a project, he could plow full steam ahead. He built a career as a Mechanical Engineer at Borg Warner Automotive, where he was employed for 37 years. He proved that it's not a college degree that makes a man successful at what he does. He had good relationships with his co-workers, and he retired from Borg Warner in 2006.

Terry was an asset to any organization he joined. He was a man of action who would rather tackle a job than spend time chatting about irrelevant things. He worked well on committees and excelled at focusing on the important details without getting bogged down by the unnecessary parts of an assignment. He was an active member of the Proviso West Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), and served as its first president when the organization was revived after 25 years of inactivity.

Even though his circle of friends was somewhat small, it was a strong and loyal group. While growing up, some of his best friends were Paul Harshbarger and George Hallberg. Later in life he became friends with Roger Paveza, and still remained friends with Paul Harshbarger and his brother John Harshbarger. These friends rounded out his golf foursome, and he continued to golf during his battle with cancer, even enjoying rounds last December and as late as the end of May.

His favorite pursuits were bowling, golfing, motorcycling, playing cards, reading, and tinkering with things in the garage. He was a regular Mr. Fix-It who could always find some way to fix anything, and he rarely read any instructions. Terry was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite teams. Tops on his list to watch were football, basketball, golfing, more football, and more football. He and his wife were also members of the Honda Goldwing motorcycle club (Road Riders association), and enjoyed several long road trips.

Terry appreciated the occasions when he was able to travel and get away on a vacation. He enjoyed learning about different locales and was open to exploring new and different places. Favorite vacation spots included trips out west to Colorado (a few by car, one by motorcycle), to Cancun, Mexico, several trips to Nashville, TN and to Kentucky.

Terry lived in the house next door to the home where he grew up on Portsmouth Ave. His father held the esteemed title of "Block Head", or head of the block, and after his passing, that title carried over to Terry. He was always willing, and wouldn't hesitate, to go out of his way to assist his neighbors when they needed help. Many ladies on the block relied on his handyman skills.

Terry passed away on July 16, 2013 at Loyola Hospital in Maywood, Illinois. He fought a brave year-long battle against both brain and lung cancers. He is survived by his wife Kathy and two daughters Kelly and Stacy, his sister Barbara Adams, Mother-in-law Donna Lund and sister-in-law Kristin Lund, and nieces and nephews (John Adams, Jeanne Stimek, Janet Adams, Jennifer Fragassi, Shannon Jensen, and Blaine Cormaney). Terry's wish was to be cremated, and services were held at Chapel Hill Gardens West.

Terry was the type of person who would show others his feelings through his actions. He was practical and realistic but was able to be flexible when the need arose. He had a curiosity about the things around him and tried to experience life directly rather than sit back and talk about it. The experiences he treasured most were those he shared with his loved ones. He was a dedicated family man who adored his family and never failed to support them. Terry Blaine will be greatly missed, but will never be far from the hearts he touched.