Terry L. Utter, 69
“See the man in this photograph?”
Terry L. Utter, 69, died on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, at his home in Eureka.
To some he was a teacher, counselor and coach. To others he was a keeper of the peace, the voice guiding you through your wedding day or a silent whisperer to animals. Wherever Terry Utter would go, people would find comfort in his smile, love in his heart and see the etch of hard work on his hands.
He took joy in mentoring the sweet girls and boys in his classroom, the grandkids on his lap and his sons and daughter. He loved his wife with all his heart and kept their marriage young.
“Don’t tell grandma,” he’d say as we drove through the pasture, pick a raspberry from the garden or chew on a cigar on a Pinkham Creek drive.
A true Montana cowboy, he spent his life in Eureka. He’d tinker with manmade advances in farming, enjoy God’s fellowship on Sunday but always felt at home in the mountains with his cows.
Our papa was the keeper of the strays, a father to many, a pillar of the community and the greatest man many will ever know.
Terry Lee Utter was born on Dec. 23, 1947, in Whitefish to Madeline June Utter and Francis Lee Utter. He went to school in Eureka, graduating salutatorian in 1966. He attended Concordia College in
Portland where he played football and basketball. He graduated in 1968 with an associate’s degree. He then attended the University of Montana, where he studied secondary education.
He married Susan Loraine Peters in June 1968 and thereafter raised their four children Mark, Chad, Amy and Trevor.
He taught in Rexford and Eureka, coaching basketball, football and track along the way. He completed his master’s degree in counseling at Western Montana College and was a guidance counselor for 14 years.
After retiring in 1995, he became a justice of the peace, cattle rancher and grandpa.
He is survived by his parents, Madeline and Lee Utter; wife, Susan Utter; children Mark and Marla Utter, Chad and Stephanie Utter, Amy and Johnny Pacella, and Trevor and Amber Utter; brother, Ken Utter; sisters, Patsy Sifford, Pam McKeever and Melody Casey. His grandchildren, Natalia, Charlaine, Ashlen, Terrin, Rachael, Andi, Elizabeth, Sienna, AJ, Alyssa, Caleb, Urijah and Harker also survive him.
His brother Keith Edward Utter and granddaughter Jada Lee Utter preceded him in death.
We will celebrate the life of Terry Utter at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17, in the Lincoln County High School auditorium. There will be a potluck dinner to follow.
The family would like your donations made to the Terry Utter Scholarship fund. Checks may be made to Eureka Public Schools - Terry Utter Scholarship, P.O. Box 2000, Eureka, MT 59917.
Arrangements are by Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home in Eureka. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.schnackenbergfh.com.