Rest in Peace, Terry Mathews

[bob863]

unfortunately, I never got to meet or hike with Terry; however, I think his posts made ALL of us better mountaineers...

RIP, Terry

[Louis Mathews]

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and tributes, photos and being a real family for my son Terry. As you can expect our family is devastated by Terry's decision. The Grieving process is long and hard. I just completed his final arrangements, Terry will be cremated and a Tribute and Celebration of his life will be held at 7:30 PM (Sunset is at 8:16) July 27, 2013 in the open area that used to be the old amphitheater and old chuck wagon site in Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs and is very near the main parking lot .15 miles from the Entrance near the Visitors Center off 30th St. That is between the Tower of Babel and White Rock. I will provide a table to display photos and memorabilia. Hopefully the weather will co-operate. The park permits pets on leashes.
My phone # is 719 930-5230 cell 719-391-3767 home and email is happi14u1@msn.com. Thank you.

[Obese_goat]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! RIP TERRY! Thank you for your wisdom and for fighting the good fight long enough to complete the 14ers! Very sad and mad to hear the news. Quite smad but at the same time I understand. Ive personally battled some of the same demons myself for a long time. Lost my father to suicide in February and an old friend took the same route in June. For the second time in under a month, I log on to find out we the 14ers.com community have lost another local hero, a legend, and a friend. I seriously need to meet more of you in person out on the trail or at next beer gathering. I look up to a lot of you and I often think of the forum topic "like a soap opera." Especially at times like these. The shock and sadness strike hard enough to make my eyes tear up at work. Your personalities become likeable, lovable characters thru the pictures, replies and trip reports and then all of a sudden its too late. I was wondering why Terry has been absent from the site. He was usually the first to comment on any and every topic. I always looke forward to reading posts, replies, and trip reports in the forum while Im at work and they will both be greatly missed here and all over Colorado. I never met Terry or Steve but I idolized both of them. I have learned so much from both them with out ever exchanging a single message. I can only hope to one day possess half the character, knowledge and skill they each had. Thought and prayers go out to the families and friends.

[Louis Mathews]

Sorry The Date for Terry's tribute is July 27, 2013. I thought I put the date in. I am not all here. Thanks for your patience. Made that correction above. That is in the Garden of the Gods. Thanks Britt.

[globreal]

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and tributes, photos and being a real family for my son Terry. As you can expect our family is devastated by Terry's decision. The Grieving process is long and hard. I just completed his final arrangements, Terry will be cremated and a Tribute and Celebration of his life will be held at 7:30 PM (Sunset is at 8:16) July 27, 2013 in the open area that used to be the old amphitheater and old chuck wagon site and is very near the main parking lot .15 miles from the Entrance near the Visitors Center off 30th St. That is between the Tower of Babel and White Rock. I will provide a table to display photos and memorabilia. Hopefully the weather will co-operate. The park permits pets on leashes.
My phone # is 719 930-5230 cell 719-391-3767 home and email is happi14u1@msn.com. Thank you.

For those of you from out of town, this is at the Garden of the Gods here in Colorado Springs.

From I-25, exit on Garden of the Gods Road (exit 146) heading west (towards the mountains.) Take it to the end of the road which is a "T" junction, and turn left on 30th Street. Drive south on 30th Street until you see the entrance to Garden of the Gods city park on the right. (The big visitors center is on the left). Turn west into the park and drive to the "T". The road is one-way, and you can only turn right (north.) Follow the road until it turns back west. There will be a large parking lot on your left. Park here in what is called the north lot. Follow the concrete sidewalk south, past the restrooms until you see the gathering.

[susanjoypaul]

Sorry The Date for Terry's tribute is July 27, 2013. I thought I put the date in. I am not all here. Thanks for your patience. Made that correction above. That is in the Garden of the Gods. Thanks Britt.

Thank you, Mr. Mathews, for inviting us to say good-bye to Terry with you. I have two sons myself, and I cannot imagine your grief.

Garden of the Gods is just a couple of miles from my home. It's a beautiful place, and a lovely choice, especially for such a somber occasion. If you need any assistance at all with the arrangements, please don't hesitate to call me at 719-963-5674, or email me at susanjoypaul@yahoo.com

I will see you there.

[oddharmonic]

Reading this thread has given me a greater appreciation for a side of Terry's life I only tangentially knew. Those of you that got his final text, I'm the Melissa mentioned in reference to LiveJournal, a blog site he participated on for 12 years, and now I'm helping keep his friends on LJ and Google+ in the loop with regards to memorial plans.

Here are some of my funnier memories of Terry from a non-mountaineering side of his life:

In 2003, he stopped in Evergreen to have coffee with me and another LiveJournal friend, Angie. We took a group photo in front of the coffeeshop and only later did I realize his t-shirt artwork was of a wizard with the words "turn to sh*t".

Later that year at a friend's going-away party, we dared him to dance on a patio table. I wish I had a photo of that to share, he was just brimming with glee and we were all so goofy and silly that day.

One time at a get-together at his home, several of us standing outside after dark got into a discussion about hobbit toes. This led to everyone taking their shoes off and comparing their feet.

Another time he offered his living room for two of us to spend the night so we would have a shorter drive to the Colorado Renaissance Festival. He wouldn't let us buy him dinner or bring anything back for him, he just suggested we spend the night rather than drive to Denver and back.

He was always good to me, even when I was in some pretty bad places, and he was beloved by many of our mutual friends on LiveJournal. I am so glad he had all of you as part of his chosen family.

EDIT 1812: If you use Facebook, please join the event for the celebration of life to help give an idea of how many folks to expect: http://www.facebook.com/events/195663810598516/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Nelson]

Mr. Mathews,

I, too buried a son. Like Terry, he was handsome, successful and hugely admired by his community. Like Terry, he died by his own hand. I am going to guess that you knew there was something wrong and did everything in your power to deal with it. We did. The sad truth is that the chemistry of the brain is beyond our ability to deal with.

I have walked the path that lies before you. I know there is nothing I can say that can make it any easier.

Be thankful for the time that you had with such an inspirational soul. He had more of an impact in a short period of time than most of us have in many more years.

I wish him the peace he could not find in this world. I wish you the strength to deal with his loss.

Love,

The Abanto Family

[taylorzs]

Very sad to hear this. I only met Terry a couple times at Denver HHs and a little over the website over the years. He seemed like an awesome guy and someone who had a really positive impact on a lot of people's lives. Rest in Peace Terry!

[tommyboy360]

TMathews will be greatly missed. It’s hard to imagine 14ers.com without him. He was such a large and dominating presence on this site for so many years. He was definitely one of the most recognizable personalities on the forum.

I never met Terry. We definitely had our share of online banter and I was usually quick to flame. We did however, exchange many friendly PMs and share information in regards to routes and conditions. It’s great to read how he chatted up the Colorado mountains and beta with so many forum members. It is the common bond. He was like a 14ers.com virtual information booth whether you wanted him or not. He could not resist it because he really loved EVERTYHING about the Colorado mountains and 14ers.com. I think that kind of passion and love of life is at the root of all of us here and nobody showed more of it online than Terry.

The loss of Terry hits hard. He seemed so alive and full of passion. So many of us end up pursuing the mountains full-on-raging because ordinary life can hand out such unforgivable circumstances and at times seem so impossible to construct a positive future. As flatlanders, we are ecstatic to escape alive from our mistakes and ignorance in the mountains. But it's rare in life to feel you have been given a fair chance or an even playing field. The mountains can seem like the only place to escape, fit in or have things come together for you. I’ve been there. I know many others on this site that have been there. It’s tough to lose one of our best online mountaineers this way.

The mountains can be a refuge. This includes our climbing friends and sometimes even just an online 14er.com acquaintance. Terry proved that we can be a real and positive impact on this site and in the mountains despite our personal troubles. Terry took an aggressive pursuit of the mountains as he neared his finish of the 14ers. He was very dedicated and passionate in his pursuit and always wanted to share his photos and experience. I was always impressed by this accomplishment. He was always getting after it at higher elevations and simply wanted to share these journeys with others because it is what he loved best about life.

My deepest condolences to Terry’s parents, family and friends. Terry, you will be missed. He offered so much help and passion to this community. I can only hope that others on this site will share their mountain adventures with the same passion and find the strength in their hearts and mind to continue climbing on regardless of personal circumstances. RIP.

[Mel McKinney]

Mr. Mathews, please accept my condolences. I am so sorry for your family's loss. Terry's posts (and there were so many with his personal record!) will be missed on the site. He was an excellent source of info and moral support for many.

I noticed a few posters referring to Terry's trip report after his finisher on Windom. I did a search under "Trip Reports" but couldn't find it. If someone can easily find it and wishes to share, it would appreciated (if deemed appropriate at this time).

Rest in peace, Terry.

[EZSide]

Damn...I'm on the periphery of this community - but you do come to know so many.

Thoughts and prayers for peace for all who will miss Terry.

Bill