Terry Amburgey

1949 - 2022

Dr. Terry L. Amburgey, Ph. D., of Sturgis, Mississippi, passed away at age 81 on Friday, April 1, 2022, at Baptist Medical Center-Golden Triangle in Columbus, Mississippi. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 7, at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Bradley, Mississippi, with Rev. Mike Sanders officiating. Visitation will be the day of the service from 9:30 a.m. until service time at the church. Interment will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 8 at Long Beach City Cemetery in Long Beach, Mississippi, with Rev. Mike Sanders officiating.??Terry was born on December 11, 1949, to Samuel and Neva Alberta Amburgey in Trenton, New Jersey. Prior to his retirement, Dr. Amburgey was a professor for 30 years in the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University and retired with the title of Giles Distinguished Professor. He received Awards of Merit from both the American Wood Protection Association and the Railway Tie Association and was elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science. While at Mississippi State, he was given the title of Giles Distinguished Professor and received several awards for his teaching by the Department of Forest Products, the College of Forest Resources, and the Mississippi State University Alumni Association. Dr. Amburgey's graduate students have made significant contributions to their chosen fields of employment. His professorship at Mississippi State was preceded by 10 years with the USDA Forest Service in Gulfport, Mississippi, as a Research Wood Decay Specialist.

Terry is survived by his daughter Lauren Shurden and husband Donald of Oak Grove, Mississippi, and his sister Narice Moore. One of his greatest joys was being "PopPop" to his grandson Joshua Ryan Shurden. He was preceded in death by his daughter Danielle Marie Parker, his parents, and his brother Bart Amburgey.

Serving as pallbearers will be H. Michael Barnes, Nate Irby, Shane Kitchens, Brian Lindsey, Kevin Ragon, and Charles Sanders. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those interested in giving a memorial gift in Dr. Amburgey's name are asked to send donations to the Oktibbeha County Humane Society, P. O. Box 297, Starkville, MS 39760 or to Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, 3067 Pleasant Ridge Road, Sturgis, MS 39769.

The family would like to express special thanks to his caregiver and friend, Shirley Long, and to the medical staff at Baptist Medical Center and Hospice in Columbus; as well as his pastor and family friend, Mike Sanders.

Services are under the direction of Nowell-Massey Funeral Home, 724 North Columbus Avenue, Louisville, MS. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family by signing the guest register at www.nowellmasseyfuneralhome.com.