Through the tears, I can only take a break to smile when thinking of the memories.
I remember the first time I met him, strolling through the office halls with that big smile on his face. Within moments of talking with him, I felt like I'd known him forever. Over the next two years, he became a mentor, inspiration, and a true friend.
I remember him coming over to me one day asking if I'd like to fly to Homer on a training flight with him. I am not too fond of flying, but he was an amazing pilot and I trusted him completely. So I got on the big ol' Boeing and he guided me to the jumpseat. It was just four of us on this huge plane. He then proceeded to give me a trip like no other - touch and go's that scared me to death, but he would just turn around, look at me, and grin. I smiled, knowing I was in good hands. It was the most beautiful scenery I'd ever seen, looking out like the pilots do gives a view like passengers never get to see. He loved to fly and loved sharing his passion with others.
I remember one day, he kept walking by my office off and on... After noticing that it had been hours since I had been sitting there typing away, he came over and started rubbing my shoulders. He then stopped and laughed - 'you know, this would probably be considered inappropriate, wouldn't it'? I laughed and told him that only he could get away with it. He was such an honorable person, no one would ever question his intent.
One thing I can't remember is how many times I had to hit the mute button on the speakerphone when he would get mad at the person on the other end. He would let loose and my hand couldn't get to the button fast enough! He learned to check for that red flashing light and got pretty good at hitting it himself. He cared about people would always be the first person standing up to defend them (even if it made him look bad to others).
He always asked me to find him that 'big bag of money'. We would joke for hours about where that money bag could be and I was never able to find it for him. His view was to always take care of the people and the airplanes - after all, you can't put a price on that.
I would sit in his office and listen to his stories about his family, he was so proud of them. Had to have a pretty free schedule to do this, because he could talk about them for hours. He loved them all so much.
Less than two weeks ago, I saw him face a horrible tragedy. He was trying so hard to stay strong, but he was devastated. He told me that he needed to be the strength for everyone else, but he was having a hard time finding any strength. All we could do was hold each other and cry. It was so hard seeing him go through this yet he was focused on everyone else the entire time.
I didn't have a clue that when I said goodbye to him last week, it would be the last time. But I'm glad I was able to say bye.
Terry Smith was genuinely a great man and I feel honored I knew him and that my memories of him will live forever.
