Terry Clark Spear

Terry Clark Spear passed away peacefully on Monday, March 28, 2022, after battling Parkinson’s disease for 8 years. He was preceded in death by his father, Hodges Clark Spear, mother, Ruth Mae Spear and brother, James Hodges Spear. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Janis Ann Spear; son and wife, Chris and Cynthia Spear; grandson and wife, Alex and Shaylee Spear, and great granddaughter, Maeve Spear. He was born April 7, 1946, in Dallas Texas and resided at Hope Cottage until his parents adopted him at the age of 8 months. James, his brother, joined the family 6 years later from a private adoption. They lived in Oak Cliff until Terry was 17 when they moved to DeSoto. He graduated from DeSoto High School and attended UTA. Terry loved his extended family deeply; in his early years, all the cousins traveled to one uncle’s house or another to visit during the summers. They especially enjoyed their time at Uncle Doc’s Ranch in Boerne, TX. They shared lots of joking, teasing, good food and celebrations. They are very special and have remained close over the years. Terry and Janis met in elementary school and their relationship grew from there. They were married and began their family in DeSoto. Chris was born and it was quite evident that Terry quickly knew his purpose, which was to provide and take care of his small family; to love them unconditionally and often. It was not uncommon for Janis and Chris to hear him say “I love you” several times in a day. He had a strong work ethic; he was a salesman in the insurance industry and won many awards and trips prior to becoming self-employed; purchasing his first dry cleaning business in 1978. He and Janis spent over 20 years in the Dry Cleaning world where he held several positions and served as President of the Texas Laundry and Dry Cleaning Association. They met lifelong friends and have many fond memories of parties and trips with their dry cleaning family. As Terry and Janis hit their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s they found a new love for Snow Skiing, Scuba Diving, Zip Lining and White Water Rafting. They spent countless hours on Chris’s baseball trips at games all over the State and Country. You could count on one hand the number of games they begrudgingly had to miss. Terry was adventuresome; he flew a plane after only 3 hours of instruction. He and his cousin, Randy, shared a love for Nascar, they attended the races together for many years. They drove Nascars twice at the Texas Motor Speedway and went drag racing; he had a love for roaring speed. He was a member of First Baptist Church in McKinney where he enjoyed working on the parking lot committee as a greeter for several years. Terry loved people and was truly a “People Person”. He loved to have fun and, as he traveled, was proud to let everyone know he was from the greatest state in the union, Texas! The family requests memorials be sent to The Parkinson Voice Project, 646 N Coit Road #2250, Richardson, TX 75080 parkinsonvoiceproject.org/Donate -or- Mission Regan, 2140 Redbud Blvd. Suite F, McKinney, TX 75069 Missionregan.kindful.com A Memorial Service will be held at First McKinney Church, 1615 W. Louisiana St., McKinney, TX 75069 on April 8, 2022 at 11:00 A.M. with Rev. Randy Morlan, officiating. All Floral Tributes or Deliveries Should Be Directed To The Church.