Terry James Crews, 60, of Tampa, FL, passed away on September 1, 2017 at his home in Tampa, FL. He was born September 23, 1956, and was a lifetime resident . He was a beloved teacher, coach, brother, friend, athlete, serviceman, outdoor sportsman, writer and musician.
Terry touched the lives of countless students, athletes, friends and associates with his love, humor, and kindness. His accomplishments in his many life endeavors are too numerous to list, and secondary to the lives he touched.
He is survived by his brothers Gary Crews and Ray Crews, and long-time friend Kath Pablo.
Funeral Service will be at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, 13312 Cain Road, Tampa, Florida 33625 on Saturday September 16 at 10:00 AM. He will be interred with military honors at Florida National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Avenue, Bushnell, FL, 33513 at 11:00 AM on Monday, September 18, 2017.
Memorial donations can be made in lieu of flowers to Chamberlain High School Cross Country and Track Scholarship fund.
I didn’t know Terry well until we met up at the Doc Reunion in 2011 in Troy, Alabama. We hung out together at the Friday night reception and I discovered that Terry was a very thoughtful and kind individual. Terry my friend you will be missed.
Hi, my name is Mary. Like many of you gathered here today, I am a former student of Mr. Crews. When his health worsened Mr. Crews asked me if I would say a few words at his memorial service about his impact as an educator.
Mr. Crews personified what it means to be a great teacher. His dedication to his students could be witnessed each and every time he taught. Whether introducing us to the beauty of Shakespeare for the first time, or challenging us to discuss the meaning of existentialism, or requiring us to write a poem about the donuts and milk he sometimes brought for students in his morning classes.
With characteristic warmth and good humor, Mr. Crews also tried to instill specific values within his students, such as the importance of strength and endurance, through recounting his experiences of training to become an Army Ranger. Stressing that even though he was scared and exhausted each time he had to jump out of an airplane and pull his parachute, he emphasized, “I didn’t give up, and I got my wings,”.
As a student with special needs, I was impressed with Mr. Crews’ hard work and dedication on my behalf. He encouraged me to take higher level English courses and attend college. He even wrote me a recommendation letter for the scholarship I would later be awarded. His belief in me proved sound when, despite the criticism of some, I graduated with a degree in English from the University of South Florida in the spring of 2015.
I am not the only student Mr. Crews mentored. He shared with me that he was honored to attend the wedding of one student, while also volunteering at a summer camp for special needs children.
So, as his students, we know that both Mr. Crews’ memory, and the lessons he taught us will continue to live on through each of us.
To my friend terry crews vaya con dios you were a great runner and evwn a greater human being much love much respect…joesph orourke…
Very sad to hear the death of one of Troys most talented athletes Terry Crews…he had all the tools…mental toughest which cannot be trained he had that….he proved that when he joined the US Army Rangers…he was the most talented sometimes miss understood but all and all a very sad day for the Troy Alumni Vaya Con Dios to TC a good human being, a great amercan and a great talent lost to the ages and at gods door steps now and forever….Joe ORourke
Sorry for the delay – I just heard yesterday that Terry had passed away.
I graduated high school the same year as Terry and ran against him in a few meets. He became a much better runner than me in college and post-college years, where I met him off and on at local road races. He was always a gentle soul. For awhile, Terry wrote for the Tampa Tribune newspaper, and his entertaining storytelling ability about a multi-day long distance bicycle ride was something that struck a chord in me. Last year, I talked with Terry at the funeral of another Chamberlain X-C grad, Geoffrey Godfrey, and I told Terry about his article, and how it helped me jump start a series of long distance bicycle rides that I have ridden over the past 20 years. Terry was quite modest and did not think his article was of real significance, but I told him he would likely never know all the positive impacts he had on people over the years. At that time last year, Terry was going through chemo but he was still running and had a super positive outlook on life, and he talked of how much he enjoyed teaching at his alma mater, Chamberlain High School.
May Terry rest in peace and condolences to all his family members.