My Dear Friend, Terry Venezia (#3)

Posted by Dan Caruso
November 5, 2009

My Dear Friend, Terry Venezia (#3)

This is the 3rd of 4 part tribute to my dear friend Terry Venezia, who passed away on Sunday, October 25th. I was given the honor of presenting an eulogy for Terry. I will share the eulogy, as I want people to know what a special person Terry Venezia was—and I hope it helps people live their lives the way Terry lived his. Terry is survived by his lovely wife Renee and his three beautiful children Jason, Jillian, and Ali.

Terry had a witty sense of humor. John Wharton and Michelle Krezek summarized this best. Our group has been known for being a bit rough on one another. With sarcastic and sometimes nasty remarks, we push each other until someone breaks down. If no one gets mad, the night was no fun. Terry would find a way to be part of this bantering, but never in the line of fire. He’d listen in, smile and laugh, quickly re-direct if the barbs turned toward him, but mostly just waited until everyone else exhausted themselves. Then, in a low key way, he’d deliver the funniest and most witty line. Defeated, the rest of us would know it was time to move on.

Terry was also adventurous. He liked to explore. He liked activities. He enjoyed pushing things to the limit. A couple years ago, the Krezeks, Zarollis, and Venezias went on a family vacation to Big Bear Lake—and Terry’s adventurous steak hit a new pinnacle. As explained to me, the big family activity involved the fathers jumping off the edge of a pontoon boat, onto a floating trampoline, with their boys standing on the edge, and thereby being launched high into the air and, hopefully, landing in the water. Terry, the competitive one, made sure no one’s son would be propelled higher in the air than Jason.

In my opening remarks, I commented on the strength of Terry’s character. He was confident, but never arrogant. He was dedicated and disciplined always. Mentally focused. He lived his life with a purpose. He was cool, calm, and collected. Terry was also intelligent. He is the only one of my friends who, when we’d play the game of chess, I’d worry about losing. He was always independent—always knew how to take care of himself. Yes, Terry was a very strong person.

I received a note from Julie Strain, the wife of Brian. Julie went to high school with us and knew Terry as long as we did. Here is how Julie thought of Terry: “Terry was never a judgmental person. He treated everyone with respect and was always a good listener. I imagine that he would have made a great judge if he had ever aspired to do so. He was a person you could turn to for advice without ever feeling like you were being judged. And his advice was always something that everyone respected.”