Terry Stanfill
Terry Gene Stanfill, 67, of Gentry, AR, passed away on August 7, 2021, at his home in rural Gentry.
Terry was born in Fort Smith, AR, on October 12, 1953, to Bill and Joyce Stanfill. He grew up in Mansfield, AR, until moving to Greenwood, AR, in 1966. He graduated from Greenwood High School in 1971, where he was a member of the Greenwood High School Hall of Fame.
After high school, Terry attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AR, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in biology and was a four-year baseball letterman, graduating in 1975.
Terry started working for SWEPCO at Shreveport, LA, in 1975, as a trainee for the plant chemist at the new Flint Creek Power Plant in Gentry, AR, which was then under construction. In 1977, Terry transferred to Flint Creek Power Plant and served there as plant chemist until his retirement in 2010.
Terry was a long-time Little League, Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball coach in Siloam Springs, AR, through the 80s and 90s where he coached and influenced many local young men.
In 1999, Terry was instrumental in the creation and construction of the Eagle Watch Nature Trail on SWEPCO Lake in Gentry, AR. There he worked with many local groups including 4-H, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and he always looked forward to the annual Earth Day celebration. The Eagle Watch continued to be his passion through retirement and up to the very end of his life.
Terry’s love for nature and wildlife also inspired him to take up photography in the early 90s. He was well known by many local photographers and was lucky to call many of them friends. His photos were published locally and regionally. He had many Facebook followers who looked forward to his daily posts of pictures from his “Morning Rounds” of locations close to home and his “Happy Place” in Boxley Valley near Ponca, AR. Terry always hoped to inspire people to look at nature in a more positive and respectful way, believing that every creature has a purpose whether we understand it or not.
Terry was preceded in death by his father, Billy Stanfill; paternal grandparents, James Lee Stanfill and Dixie Cross Stanfill; and maternal grandparents, Virgil Caudle and Edith Gardenhire Caudle.
Terry is survived by his wife, Margaret “Cris” Stanfill of the home; two stepchildren, Stacy Phelps of Siloam Springs, AR and Joshua Haynes and wife Darla of Rose, OK; three grandsons, Connor Williams of Siloam Springs and Jordan and Jaxon Haynes of Rose, OK; his mother, Joyce Stanfill of Greenwood, AR; two brothers, Larry Stanfill and wife Mary of Greenwood, AR and Greg Stanfill of Lowell, AR; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Graveside service was at 2:00 pm on August 12, at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Boxley Valley near Ponca, AR, Terry’s “Happy Place.” Rev. Randy Moll, a long-time friend, officiated.
Arrangements are under the care of Brashear’s Funeral Home of Huntsville, AR.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made in Terry’s name to one of the following:
Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, 1725 S. Smokehouse Trail, Fayetteville, AR 72721, info@ nwalandtrust.org, 479966-466
Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, 1100 North Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, Arkansas@ naturalheritage.com, 501324-9619
Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society, 2204 Hendricks Blvd, Fort Smith, AR 72903, info@ nwarkadubon.org
PAID OBITUARY