It is with deep sorrow and profound gratitude for a well-lived life that we announce the passing of our beloved mother and grandmother, Bertha Maye Terry, 89, who went home to be with her lord and savior on Wednesday Sept. 24, 2025, surrounded by her family at her home in Charmco.
Born on Apr. 20, 1936, in Dawson, Bertha was a woman of unwavering faith, endless compassion, and gentle strength. Bertha built a life centered on faith, family, and service to others. She was a proud mother, sister, cherished grandmother, and a great-grandmother to her family and many other “adopted kids.” She loved everyone so strongly and prayed for them daily. Her home was a refuge – a place of laughter, love, and the occasional life lesson, always shared with gentleness and wisdom.
Bertha was the heart of our family, our pillar – a source of unconditional love, quiet strength, and endless kindness. She lived a life marked by grace, faith, compassion, and an unwavering devotion to those she loved. Whether through warm embrace, her comforting words, or the countless meals she lovingly prepared around her kitchen table, she nurtured everyone she met with a mother’s heart.
She is preceded in death by her father Garnet “Pappy” and Macie “Honey” Terry, her siblings Ellis Edward Martin, Sr., Winford “Bub” Lee Terry, and her daughter Kathleen Marie Terry.
She is survived by her children Russell and his wife Susan Redden, her grandchildren Ryan Alan Redden, Jennifer Annamay Redden, her great-granddaughter Aubrey Shea Redden, her sister Lucille A. Adkins, daughter-in-law Pamela Lynn Redden, a special “adopted son” Jimmy Adkins, and many cherished nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Though her earthly journey has ended, her love will live on in every kind word we speak, every hand we hold, and every prayer we whisper. We are forever grateful and blessed for the gift of her presence in our lives.
Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
Funeral services will be held Sunday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m. at Smathers Funeral Chapel, Rainelle. The family will receive friends and neighbors for visitation on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the funeral chapel. Interment will follow the funeral services in Wallace Memorial Cemetery, Clintonville.
Smathers Funeral Chapel is honored to care for Bertha and her family during their great time of need.
Online condolences may be made at www.smathersfuneralchapelinc.com.
