Terry Anderson reminded everyone including me a cross between Santa Claus and Jerry Garcia from The Grateful Dead Band. I can almost smell the Old Spice cologne he wore since high school my mom always told me, lingering in the room as I am typing. Just thinking about dad brings heartbreaking tears because of how he died, but also brings a huge smile as he always had his way of making me laugh. My mother said to me while I was growing up that I had a lot of traits of my father and it might be the reasons for my rebellious personality. I am blessed to have known my father and to have established a relationship. Rick and I had an adult/daughter and adult/son relationship with Terry and we all respected that and cherished the moments and time we were able to share together.
Terry was a turkey and deer hunter. There wasn't a time when we would visit and dad would be walking around with a plastic vibrating turkey call in his mouth - just chirping away and making all sorts of noise. He would call me from the tree stand of his choice on his 11 acre property early on a Sunday morning during turkey season from his cell, detailing the beauty of the sunrise and how he was going to be catching a 'gobbler' anytime now. Many turkey tail fans where displayed in his workshop for him to boast and chat about to his family and friends. Every November my husband Eric and I would be sure we save vacation time and spend opening day of deer season with dad and Darleen. Dad would crack me up with his camouflage outfits and sneak off into the woods searching for deer. I would tell him he looks just like a bush. He would mostly return with a prize catch and everyone would gather around in his shop and cook the deer. Dad had his way every moment with the cleaning and cooking process of each catch and it always turned out perfect on his potbelly wood burning stove. That iron skillet and a few onions - just melts in your mouth.
Terry collected coins from Franklin Mint and other various coin companies. When we would visit, he would break out his new additions and explain the importance of each to his growing set.
He was a sponsor for Alcoholic's Anonymous (AA) for over 16yrs. During his early teen/adult years and into his 40's, Terry had an addiction to alcohol. He eventually realized this and turned his entire life around for the positive. I can personally say that I had a large influence in his decision to do so. I was not raised by Terry Anderson. I met my father at the age of 19yrs old. My entire childhood and into early adult hood, I always knew that my mother had remarried (Ken Kwiek and my brother Kenny Kwiek is my half brother who I am very close to) and Rick and I have a biological father. I was curious and we searched him out. Rick and I met Terry and we all welcomed the new relationships. Darleen welcomed Rick and I and we never felt threatened in any way for walking into our father's life and her/Amanda's life. That was a very strange thing to happen. Terry had other children and this was his third marriage and these other children come around. Here we come around all grown up and wanting to be a part. She welcomed and we respected. I realized dad's issue with alcohol and Darleen and I would spend time together a lot playing with Amanda - while dad was drinking and carry on. Terry had issues with drinking and having his first children now adults around and seeing the true person he was and not the 'mentor' Rick and I had hoped for. He really turned to drinking more often and it really was affecting us and our relationship. We did not search for Terry to take the place and be a father to us. We wanted just to be a part of his life and to establish a family. A few years went by and during one of my visits he was really hitting the liquor. He did not have desires to fish or any outdoor activities like horseshoes or ATV riding. I told him at that visit that I do not want to see him in this stupor anymore and that I will not be visiting him until he chooses to change his life. I also swore to him that if he does not change his ways soon that his daughter Amanda, who was 3 or so years old at the time, might not want him in her life like I did and leave him for good. I walked out and 9 months later he phoned me and asked me to come and visit him. He told me he was six months sober and he had changed his life for the better. He was actively involved with AA and NA and would I visit and attend a meeting with him. I agreed. Since that day we had such a fantastic relationship. We communicated weekly and scores of pictures and happy memories filled the photo albums. Eric and I watch Amanda grow and it was always a 'holiday' when we would visit dad.Terry breathed for fishing. He loved to fish. Any kind of fishing. His favorites were ice fishing and pan fishing. Cell phone rings and its dad. He's on frozen lake with his Ford F250 and catchin 'em. Mostly his passion was musky fishing or should I really say muskie 'hunting'. He would spent plenty of money and hours of his time buying lure and equipment so he can venture out to one of his favorite fishin spots Webster Lake Indiana. Dad would spend hours working the water on one of his 'sport minnies'. He was a musky fishing guide for northern Indiana/southern Michigan area. He had his own motor craft and everything needed to have a glorious day on the lake 'catchin 'em'. Dad would drive up to visit me during January because Harper Collage has a yearly Musky Show that dad would never miss. Dad would make Eric wake up at 6am to drive out there and be the first ones there. Dad had to get the mug they gave out to the first 50 people. He and Eric would come back with just all sorts of lure and baits. Dad would spread out his prizes and talk about what each would do in the water and how it would attract the musky. I have fished many of hours and spent many hours cleaning and frying up blue gills or sunfish with my dad. But, I never got a chance to musky fish with him. It was difficult since the birth of our son and the limited time I had for recreation outside of Nicholas.
I look in the trees. Look up. Dad always told me to look into the trees. Listen. Respect the land and respect nature. Know the enemies of the woods. Keep your sense of direction. He was a smart man. Terry was knowledgeable woods man and bird lover. He had humming bird feeders and all other kinds of bird feeders everywhere. Finches and blue birds would gather around his shop window while we sneaked a peek of them thru the darkened window he had. Bird book in hand, he would tab to one of his pages he had marked, and tell me about the bird I had just seen. We could sit for hours. He had a horse named Serge when I first met him. And a huge 700lb pig named Oink Johnson. He actually slaughtered Oink Johnson and we ate breakfast paddies and pork chops the size of plates for years. Darleen never did partake in eating Oink Johnson as he seemed to have had a soft part in her heart and she thought of him like a pet after time. Country folk are different than city folk I realized and Dad being raised country understood the respect for meat and using cattle and farm animals for food. He loved domesticated animals also. Plenty of rabbits, guinea pigs, cats and dogs ventured in and out from my dad's place. 'Splatt the Cat' was one of many cats that roamed dad's place. Banjo (Ben) was my favorite dog as well as Chelsea. They were similar yellow dogs as dad favored the yellow colors and both were well over 200 lbs. Each in their own special way, were the most lovable to snuggle up next to on the living room floor just watching the Friday Night Fights that dad loved to watch. Banjo had his score of chasing down his own deer and many times dad would find one in his yard that Banjo decided to tackle down. That explains Roscoe, the dog we adopted after the murder. He is 18months old, 120 lbs and yellow. He was my dad's next yellow dog and I could not imagine anyone taking care of him except me. Darleen loved the smaller dogs. Jack Russell dogs were her favorite and she had a few that really made friends with dad even tho he preferred the larger Mastiff or Norwegian Elkhound type dogs.
Dad could drive, fix, build or run any type of machine or tool known. When I was hangin out with Dad it was always an adventure. We really had fun and laughed. Dad played lottery all the time. Talked about how if he would win the big one, it would be glory for all in the family. Dad actually had an Indian teepee in his yard. We would spend hours in it and cook all kinds of interesting things. I remember one cookout Dad went to the local butcher and purchased 25lbs of turkey nuts. I was like...turkey nuts??? And what are those? With a chuckle that only Dad had and the look thru one eye and the smirk of smile, he told me what they were. Well it turns out to be the testicles of turkey's and it's breaded and deep fried. Viewing those ready to be breaded in a large glass bowl did not give me any desires to try. Party goers who were locals never questioned and savored the delicacy that is rare and quite expensive to purchase I was told. Us city folk would never imagine. Still makes me quezy to think
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