Vahdean Luedell Terry

On January 16, 2023, Vahdean Terry went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She was 99 years old. She was an angel on earth and now she is an angel in Heaven rejoicing with her loved ones who went before her. Her beloved husband Paul of 52 years preceded her in death in 1996. They were married in Placentia, California in 1944. 

She is survived by her 3 Children. Brenda Arnett (Jerry), Teresa Miracle and Kenneth Paul Terry, Jr. all of Costa Mesa, California. 3 grandchildren Chelsea Dishong (Justin), Austin Terry, Jacob Terry and 1 great-grandchild Oliver Dishong. 

She is also survived by nieces Linda Fischer (Clinton, Brandon, and Christy Rohlf) Betty Maultsby (Heather Bales) and Joyce Miller (Travis, and Megan Stanhope) of La Vernia, Texas. Deleta Williams, Warrensburg, Missouri and Loretta Driskell, Nampa, Idaho, Tim Terry, Eugene Oregon and several grand and great-grandnieces and nephews. 
To Vahdean, family meant everything and she devoted her whole life to her family. Vacations were always spent visiting family in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. She always put others first over her own needs and wanted to make other people happy. She was a peacemaker and even in her final years and failing health she was always so positive and never complained. 

She was active in all her children's lives including Church, Girl Scouts, YWCA and Baseball. She loved to host pool parties in the summer at her home in Orange with all the neighborhood kids and family. She had a charisma about her and people were drawn to her caring and friendly nature. 

Her early life was spent in Arkansas and Texas growing up on a farm with her parents. She helped out with chores and was active at her 1st Baptist Church. There she sang in the church choir and once sang on the radio. She loved music and passed it down to her children.

In 1933 her sister LaDonna was born. They remained extremely close until her passing in November 2018. Vahdean’s mother was very nurturing and kept the family together eventually settling in California in the early 1940’s. Vahdean was devoted to her mother until her death in 1993.  

While she was still at Dixie High School in Arkansas she met the love of her life, Kenneth Paul Terry. While she was visiting an aunt in the nearby town of Caraway, her aunt encouraged her to bake a pie for the upcoming pie social that night. This was a gathering where the girls baked a pie and the boys would bid on the pie just to have a chance to meet the girl and sit and share the pie with them. The girls brought their pies in a colorfully decorated box and the boys would watch to see which girl belonged to which box. Paul liked the looks of Vahdean and the bidding war for the pie began. Bidding was fierce but Paul won out with the highest bid. They found a cozy spot to sit and tradition was for the boy to cut into the pie and serve the lovely lady who baked it the first slice. It was a beautiful coconut custard pie. 

Unfortunately, when he cut into the pie it was so runny and under baked they couldn’t eat it. She was so embarrassed! He didn’t care though because he got the girl and so began their life together. 
Paul was in the navy in WWII. He was a Radioman 1st Class and stationed in the Pacific Theater while serving his country during the War. When Paul was stationed in the States she followed him from port to port including Miami, Florida, Mobile, Alabama, Port Arthur, Texas and San Diego, California. 
 
When Paul left to go overseas, Vahdean lived with her mother and sister while she worked at the Telephone Company in Wilmington, CA. During this time she was a PBX switch board operator answering multiple phone lines. Times were tough during the war along the California Coast, as curfews were in effect and black out curtains were used in their homes to block out any light as the coast could be under attack at any time. 
When Paul came home after the war they made their home in Redondo Beach, California. They later raised their family in Orange County, California. 

Vahdean was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and aunt, she was loved by all who knew her and she will be greatly missed. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vahdean Luedell Terry, please visit our floral store.