Ancestors

William John Terry

William John Terry, called Bill, was born at Kaukauna, Wisconsin, on 15 May 1943. He was a son of Steven Leo Terry and Rosella Petronella Van Densen, and grew up in Kaukauna with his sisters Judith and Jean and his brothers Daniel and Patrick. The Kaukauna Times announced his birth as "Son Arrives Saturday."

He graduated from Kaukauna High School in 1961. He then served in the United States Navy, coming home in 1965. On 23 July 1966 he married Cynthia "Cindy" Smith, and they had four children: Sharon, Robin, Sean and Stephen.

Bill went to work at the Thilmany Pulp and Paper mill in Kaukauna, the mill where his father had run a rewinder for 37 years and where his great-grandfather Walter J. Terry had been the sixth man hired. Bill stayed 35 years and retired in 2005.

He was an avid golfer. His obituary said he loved to play with his son Stephen, his brother-in-law Ken Smith and many nephews. He and Cindy traveled, and their favorite trips were to Canada and to Tempe, Arizona, where the Milwaukee Brewers held their spring training camp. In later years he gardened, watched birds and went to his grandchildren's games and school events.

His son Sean Patrick Terry died in 2007. Bill lived for two and a half years with cancer. He died at his home in Kaukauna on 27 October 2013, aged 70, with his family around him. His funeral was held on 31 October at Christ the Rock Community Church in Menasha, and he was buried in Union Cemetery, Kaukauna. When his brother Patrick died in 2015, his obituary noted that he had been preceded in death by his brother, Bill Terry.

If William John Terry is in your family, start your own tree.

Researched October 2026. Cite: Heirology, "William John Terry (1943-2013)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/william-john-terry-1943-2013-742cbb.