by Ali Cabral, instant friend

When I met Terry it was as if we had been friends forever. The short time we spent together covered a lifetime. He came to Providence and stayed with me and I introduced him to my mother. She’s 101 now and was 99 when Terry gave her a beautiful hanging summer plant. He knew how to make you smile. We packed so much into the week including a Keb Mo concert - of course Terry got us in for free and with backstage passes.

Look up “laid back” in the dictionary and you would see Terry’s picture. When I visited him in his house in Georgia he noticed some water stains on my leather shoes. Next thing I knew I was watching him polishing my shoes at the kitchen counter, talking about Jimi Hendrix and how they hung around back in the day.

Terry wrote his friends’ name in ink - he didn’t pencil you in.

He was real. Real good. A true gentleman.

I’m so lucky to have met him.

Like all of us.

Much luv, my friend.