Obituary for Terry Awalt
On Thursday, June 24, 2021, Terry Awalt (Winfrey), loving mother and grandmother, passed from her daughter’s home into eternity at the age of 83.
Terry O. Tarbox was born in Miles City, Montana on July 19, 1937 to Dr. Byron R. Tarbox and Edith Munson Tarbox. She had many fond memories of growing up in Forsyth, Montana with her two older brothers, Tom and Bus Tarbox. She spent her High School years in Sterling, CO with her mom and brother Bus, after the passing of her dad.
After graduating from Sterling High, she attended CU Boulder for one year, then moved to Denver becoming an Optometrist’s assistant.
On April 5, 1959, she married the love of her life, Bernard Fay William (Ben) Awalt.
Ben and Terry raised three children: Misty, Bernard (Ber), and Darcy. Through the years she and Ben developed great friends in the towns where they lived: Shenandoah, Iowa and Shawnee, Oklahoma. After the family’s move to Shawnee, Ben and Terry worked together at the Brown’s Shoe Fit store that Ben managed. Terry worked a second job at the Cinema Center 8 in Shawnee as well, drawn by her love of movies. After Ben’s passing on January 1, 1993, Terry moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be closer to family.
Terry volunteered all of her adult life for a variety of clubs and civil organizations. She was involved in the Methodist Church in Shenandoah and Shawnee, and the Christian Church in Tulsa, where she consistently served in any capacity needed. She always made many friends; some of her closest being in her “Panera Bread Coffee Group”, where she enjoyed their company (along with sweet treats) multiple times a week.
Terry suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and on Mother’s Day, 2017, she moved to her daughter’s home in Rifle, CO to receive full-time care from her and her family.
Terry was the consummate hostess who loved cooking and sharing meals with family around the table. She was known and lovingly teased by her children and grandchildren for being a card shark and could dominate in multiple card games. In addition to spending time with family, sewing, knitting, and watching movies, she also had a love of adventure. Traveling to Europe with her mother and to Hawaii with her mother and brothers, plus another trip to Hawaii with Bus after Ben’s passing were some of her favorite memories.
Terry was preceded in death by her husband Ben, her brother Tom and second husband Bill. She is survived by her brother Bus Tarbox, of Loveland, CO; her three children, Misty and James Whitton of Rock Springs, Wyoming; Bernard (Ber) and Collette Awalt of Tulsa, Oklahoma; caregivers Darcy and Tony Copeland of Rifle, Colorado; 9 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, with more to come!
Donations in her honor may be made to:
Advocatesafehouseproject.org
Terry O. Tarbox was born in Miles City, Montana on July 19, 1937 to Dr. Byron R. Tarbox and Edith Munson Tarbox. She had many fond memories of growing up in Forsyth, Montana with her two older brothers, Tom and Bus Tarbox. She spent her High School years in Sterling, CO with her mom and brother Bus, after the passing of her dad.
After graduating from Sterling High, she attended CU Boulder for one year, then moved to Denver becoming an Optometrist’s assistant.
On April 5, 1959, she married the love of her life, Bernard Fay William (Ben) Awalt.
Ben and Terry raised three children: Misty, Bernard (Ber), and Darcy. Through the years she and Ben developed great friends in the towns where they lived: Shenandoah, Iowa and Shawnee, Oklahoma. After the family’s move to Shawnee, Ben and Terry worked together at the Brown’s Shoe Fit store that Ben managed. Terry worked a second job at the Cinema Center 8 in Shawnee as well, drawn by her love of movies. After Ben’s passing on January 1, 1993, Terry moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be closer to family.
Terry volunteered all of her adult life for a variety of clubs and civil organizations. She was involved in the Methodist Church in Shenandoah and Shawnee, and the Christian Church in Tulsa, where she consistently served in any capacity needed. She always made many friends; some of her closest being in her “Panera Bread Coffee Group”, where she enjoyed their company (along with sweet treats) multiple times a week.
Terry suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and on Mother’s Day, 2017, she moved to her daughter’s home in Rifle, CO to receive full-time care from her and her family.
Terry was the consummate hostess who loved cooking and sharing meals with family around the table. She was known and lovingly teased by her children and grandchildren for being a card shark and could dominate in multiple card games. In addition to spending time with family, sewing, knitting, and watching movies, she also had a love of adventure. Traveling to Europe with her mother and to Hawaii with her mother and brothers, plus another trip to Hawaii with Bus after Ben’s passing were some of her favorite memories.
Terry was preceded in death by her husband Ben, her brother Tom and second husband Bill. She is survived by her brother Bus Tarbox, of Loveland, CO; her three children, Misty and James Whitton of Rock Springs, Wyoming; Bernard (Ber) and Collette Awalt of Tulsa, Oklahoma; caregivers Darcy and Tony Copeland of Rifle, Colorado; 9 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, with more to come!
Donations in her honor may be made to:
Advocatesafehouseproject.org