Elmo Terry Millheim

Born in Champion Ohio in 1934, Terry moved with his family to California in 1947.

Terry took to ranching life naturally and became a working cowboy at 14. He became a skilled horseman very young. He worked driving cows from the Sierra Nevada foothills down to the railheads at Daulton, CA.

He did day work on a number of regional ranches. He and his brothers also ran a hay hauling business.

In the early 1950's he was a packer and guide for Yosemite Park and Curry Company in Wawona, CA, His future wife, Averil Harris, worked there at the Wawona Hotel.

He graduated from Raymond Granite High School. A year later married his sweetheart. She was still attending RGHS.

Terry began a series of jobs as a surveyor, a county bridge crew worker, county road department worker, construction tradesman, truck driver, and heavy equipment operator.

In the early 1960's Terry and Averil purchased a portion of the Millheim family property in Raymond CA. They built a home and raised cattle with their three children. The cattle operation did not pay for itself and Terry and Averil both "worked out". A ranching term for having additional employment outside the ranch. The children attended Raymond-Knowles Elementary School and Terry served on the School Board.

In the mid-1970's he moved his family back to Madera County CA and started his own successful ceramic tile contracting business, Millheim Tile. He and Averil sold the business and retired in 1989.

He was an instrument rated pilot and owned a series of small aircraft. He and Averil enjoyed flying to visit family and to group golf outings with their friends.

Over the years Terry and Averil lived in Raymond CA, Reno NV, Madera CA, Santa Maria CA, Nipomo CA, finally Sun City AZ.