Freddie Terry Gard-Schafer

Freddie Terry Gard-Schafer. Our Sister Terry, received her Season Ticket Pass to the Notre Dame Stadium in the clouds on February 17th, 2020. Terry left us after Several bouts of ill health, the last of which was just too much for her body to overcome. Terry was born in Columbus Ohio on June 29, 1950. She was the only child in the family that escaped having to tell people that she was born in Texas and for that I was always jealous.  Terry loved her family, which included both relatives and her friends. If you were lucky enough to be her friend, you never had to want for anything as long as Terry could help it. Terry loved, her niece, Antoinette Burnside-Garcia and always blamed me for not having Antoinette on her birthday instead of the day after. Additionally, she loved her Niece Arianna Garcia and her Nephew Alexander Garcia, who reside in Texas and it was her dearest wish to someday meet them. Terry loved plants, driving her school bus, but most of all her cats. Terry loved her cats. All of Terry’s Cats had SUPER PERSONALITIES and the stories we would hear about her cats were always hysterical. Terry’s cats; Brillo, Token, Tiny, Squeaky, Walter, Catman and Stanley all had a more than special place in Terry’s heart. I honestly believe Terry would have left us long ago if not for her cat Stanley and I’m sure that knowing he had a good home made her feel more at ease in the end. Thank you David and Missa for taking Stanley and giving him a safe, loving home! Terry had a full and productive life. She lived all over the Country, with the majority of her life spent in Elkhart Indiana. Terry had a VERY green thumb and owned her own business called Plant Gard. Plant Gard was a hugely successful indoor and outdoor plant care business and she was doing what she LOVED to do. Terry always said “I was born to dig in the dirt”. She drove out to my brother’s when he bought his home and spent many loving hours planting his beautiful front garden. It is truly a sight to behold! In addition to Plant Gard Terry loved to cook. She was always exploring new recipes as well as carrying on our mother’s tradition of gourmet cooking. Terry made Biscuits and Sausage Gravy that was the envy of every Amish person in Elkhart Indiana, and a favorite of anyone who ever tasted or smelled it cooking. Due to the high sausage content, I myself risked Jewish hell on numerous occasions partaking of that wonderful dish. If there was something she loved Terry could take the recipe and make it her own. To describe what an exceptional person Terry was I have to tell you through personal experiences of myself and others that Terry was a “Fixer” and loved helping people, ALL PEOPLE. Terry’s best friend, Debbi Green, was her sister by another mother and their friendship spanned 50 years. They knew they had each other to lean on through their whole lives. Terry was always one to lend a hand to help someone any way she could. Even when her own health was precarious Terry continued to help people in The Landing and Friendship Manor where she lived and had many friends, two of which Hazel and Vickie, she cared for until their deaths and Terry had a very loving friend, Maria to whom saved us both on many occasions by willing to help with anything Terry needed. Taking care was something Terry was born to do whether it landscaping the grounds of her apartment complex with her friend Karen Molen, or taking care of residents and their pets at Friendship Manor. Everywhere Terry went she made friends and the Staffs at Beehive homes and the Avalon said Terry hold their hands, give them hugs, keep them calm or just sit and chat with them. They said their favorite time was at night when Terry would sit up and chat with them, share with them the stories of her life and hear theirs as well. My sister and brother who are closer in age to each other were always together. They had a special bond that was a wonderful thing to see and although it was somewhat tested in later life, it never went away. Unlike our parents, Terry was always supportive of decisions Divya and I made and she would give us pros and cons but was always willing to help us pick up the pieces of a bad decision. Terry and Divya were like peas and carrots. I as the baby felt more removed from the club of the “Cool Kids”, but my Big Sister basically raised me. She would get up each morning, get my breakfast and plop me down in front of the TV, come home from school at lunch to make sure I had eaten. AGAINST the wishes of my parents, Terry bought me my first Dog, Baa, at Christmas time (incidentally, my parents loved dogs, it was just that at the time, we only had 3 full grown St. Bernard’s, 12, 5 day old St. Bernard Puppies, which needed to be hand-fed every 2 hours, our Dachshund Pretzel and Terry’s Poodle, Dobie in our house so both of them felt that 17 dogs in the house was enough for one Christmas, Baa Baa made 18. Terry got my ears pierced. Terry bought me my first pair of blue jeans. Terry got me my second piercing in my ear. Sitting on the floor in my big Sister’s bedroom I learned how to put on makeup, I learned how to dance and I learned how to sing. Terry was an exceptional singer, and had a voice that could charm the birds from the trees. While in Kearns High School, Terry was in the All State Chorus, the Kearns High Madrigals and Concert Choir, as well as the lead roles in plays and of Maria in The Sound of Music. TERRY LOVED FOOTBALL! Saturdays whether we were apart by minutes or miles, were our days to watch Notre Dame Football. Terry would call me and we would talk and watch the games (THE WHOLE GAME) “Oi the phone bills”! She also took me to the campus and the Book Store for the first time. She took me to my first Notre Dame Football Game. N.D. was one thing Terry and I would share, and now her Notre Dame Brick and my Notre Dame brick sit side by side, just as we did. Terry is out of pain now. Her thoughts are no longer jumbled and confusion no longer plagues her. She may not have accomplished all she wanted to before her death, but she has left her mark on everyone and everything that knew her. I’m sure Terry is now overseeing the planting of flowers and shrubs around the pearly gates and giving St. Peter hell because the current plants were not suited for the soil in heaven. I have only one thing to say, “Good luck St. Peter”!!! Terry is survived by her brother, Divya DeGarde of Colorado, her sister, Antoinette (Toni) Moore, of Utah, our Stepmother and friend Barb Gard in Arizona and Trina McClung of Texas. A Celebration of Terry’s life will take place for those who would like to remember Terry on Saturday, March 14th 2020 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., at the Home of Debbi Green, 1747 East Downington Ave., Sugarhouse 84108. We would love to have you come and share your remembrances and memories of Terry.

Freddie Terry Gard-Schafer

June 29, 1950 - February 17, 2020