by Coco "Puff" Parrish, niece

My Uncle Terry. He was a STAR in my eyes. My mother’s favorite brother. He was tall and funny with a deep affectionate smile.

He would acknowledge me in a way like no other.  I can still hear the sound of his boisterous voice smiling saying, "Heyyyy Coco Puff!!"  I knew he had much love for me. I felt special because he gave me the nickname Coco Puff... as if Coco wasn’t short enough. My smile would be so big it hurt, just happy to hear him say my name. Hey COCO PUFF!!  Everyone knew him. As a kid of the '70s, I remember asking my Mommy, "Is Uncle Terry famous?" because everywhere we went somebody would always stop to speak to him. He would dress nice; his hair was combed to perfection. 

I remembered when he stayed with us while in town for a visit, he helped teach me to read. I would get a book and with his joking sense of humor he would say, "You can't read! What are you doing with that book?" I would stress to him, "YES I can!" He would say, "Well let me hear you, read to me." I would start out doing well, then come across a word I didn't know or couldn't pronounce. He would stop me. "Dang, he is listening," I'd think. He would ask me to repeat the word again and I would try to sound it out. He would help me. In fact, he got onto me one time because he told me if I didn't know, to ask for help, that pride wasn't worth continuing to read the word wrong. So when I stumbled, he would stop me, and help me sound out the words with patience and persistence until I got it right. He also made sure I brushed my teeth every night.  

Terry and my Mommy were especially close. The first time I ever flew on an airplane my Mother took me to visit him and Aunt Kris in Pasadena, California. I recall it was during Rose Bowl because we went to look at the floats. On June 24th, Aunt Kris and Terry birthed a beautiful daughter named Anika on my Mother’s Birthday. I remember how my Mother would make it a big deal, she was so excited. 

I recall him making sure my Great Grandma Amanda was the center of attention at our family reunion in Seattle. She loved him. He would bring my cousin Little Terry over and take us to 13 Coins restaurant, after playing a game of pool. He would talk to me about life and teach me to be the best person I could be. My Uncle Terry knew family was important, and he had a way of making each person feel special, so they believed it too.