TUPELO – On Friday, August 14, 2020, Terrence George Lampe crossed the bar for his final voyage home. Born on November 18, 1946 in Glennonville, MO to George and Laura (Meyer) Lampe, Terry was the oldest of nine children. He graduated from Campbell High School in 1964 before answering his call to duty by enlisting in the U.S. Air Force.
After leaving the Air Force, Terry returned to his family in Southeast Missouri and worked in the construction field. This is when he met the love of his life, Linda Sue Arnold. Terry and Linda were married February 8, 1974. They enjoyed their three children, nine grandchildren, and 46 years together.
Terry returned to military service in 1978, this time with the U.S. Navy, which relocated the family to Virginia Beach, VA. He went on to serve for a total of 26.5 years combined and retired in 1996. Terry was not one to sit idle so he went on to receive Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance, both with Honors from Old Dominion University. That led him to work at Skanska USA Civil as a Rental Equipment Coordinator until July 2015. After finally retiring, officially this time, the family relocated one final time to Tupelo, MS where they could be closer to all family members.
Terry’s impact on this world is larger than any of us will ever know. A loving husband, a caring father, a sympathetic friend and so much more. He will be long remembered for many things: his excellent mind, his undying patriotism, his fierce loyalty, his phenomenal generosity, his amazing sense of humor, and his sarcastic wit. To know him was to love him. As one former shipmate stated, “Most importantly, you taught me how to be a great father, how to love unconditionally. You allowed me to be part of your family.”
Terry was preceded in death by his parents, George and Laura Lampe; a daughter, Melissa, and a granddaughter, Isabella. He is held in loving memory by many including his devoted wife, Linda, and grandsons Derek and Brayden; his son John and wife Samantha, with Nathan, Layla, Jasmine, and Adam; and his daughter, Tara van Eck and husband Larry, with Christian and Shelby. Other survivors include his eight siblings: Glenda and Pete Peterson, Maurice Lampe, Janis and (the late) Gary Humberd, Geralyn and Roy Peterson, Janelle and Mitch Mahon, Laura Jean and Tim Shaffer, Mary Aita and Georgene and Larry Modlin; as well as numerous nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends that turned into family, colleagues, and shipmates.
From another shipmate: “Senior Chief you stand relieved of your watch. Others will guard the Country you Loved , You stand at the gates with the Supreme Commander and the day shall come when we will meet again My Brother. Hand Salute Two! Fair Winds and Following Seas.”
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in his name to The Megan Ann Mahon Memorial (www.meganmahon.org) or Sanctuary Hospice, P. O. Box 2177, Tupelo, MS 38803.
