Eternal Patrol: Milford S. Terrass

Seattle Base and Inland Empire Base member Milford ‘Terry’ Terrass departed on Eternal Patrol on 9 May 2017 in Richland, WA.

Terry was born in Los Angeles, CA on 8 November 1925, he entered the US Naval Academy in June 1944 and as a member of the class of 1948A graduated in June 1947. During his 21 years in the Navy he mostly served in submarines. He served on the USS Cochino before it sank on 25 August 1949, and two other diesel subs before entering Admiral Rickover's Nuclear Navy. There, he was assigned to duty on the prototype of the sodium cooled reactor plant and the subsequent commissioning of USS Seawolf (SSN-575). He went on to direct the enlisted academic course at the Nuclear Power School in New London, CT, serve as executive officer on USS Croaker (SS-246) and as commanding officer of USS Trutta (SS-421). Terry then commanded USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602), his favorite submarine, for 6 years, through 9 patrols and a major overhaul. Declining a promotion to Captain, he retired and moved the family, much to the delight of his wife Jackie, to Palo Alto, CA, and earned an MBA at Stanford University in 1970.

Having returned to the nuclear industry, he then moved to Richland in 1978 to work for WPPSS, now Energy Northwest. Participating in a variety of nuclear training activities, he was particularly proud of his role in making it possible for nuclear plant personnel to earn accredited Bachelor of Science Nuclear Technology degrees.

His retirement in 1991 allowed him and Jackie to accelerate the world travels they had begun in 1953. He had met Marion "Jackie" Jackson, a pilot, in 1946 and they married in 1949. Three daughters, Cheryl, Adrienne and Leigh, followed. After Jackie's death in 1998, Terry continued to travel both domestically and abroad. He made a "Final Grand Tour" in 2008, driving over 11,000 miles within the U.S. and seeing many old friends and Navy sites. His last two years were marred by the sudden death of his oldest daughter, Cheryl.

Terry is survived by his daughter Adrienne, her husband Aldo Tarigo and son Theron; his daughter Leigh and her daughter Sitar; and his son-in-law Dick Naslund, and his and Cheryl's children Sterling, Skye, Neelam, Kalindi and Cambria.

A party to celebrate his life will be held at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church, 2819 W Sylvester St, Pasco WA on Saturday May 20 at 1 pm.

Sailor, Rest Your Oar