Services held for Jumby Terry

Funeral services were held Saturday for William Claude “Jumby” Terry Jr., who died May 25. He was 81.

A long-time Oneida businessman and face of the local Republican Party, Terry was deeply involved in public service, having served on a number of committees and boards over the years.

A veteran of the U.S. Army, Terry owned Terry Motor Company for nearly 50 years until his retirement. He was also involved in a number of business ventures with his siblings, Jane Hoffman and George Terry.

Terry—who earned his nickname as a child when he could not pronounce “junior” and instead called himself “Jumby”—was a lifelong Republican and a former delegate to the GOP’s national convention. He was a current member of the Scott County Election Commission.

In 2009, when Republicans took control of election commissions across the state for the first time in years, the local commission bucked a statewide trend of replacing its administrator of elections for partisan reasons.

“We were in the minority for a long time, but we were always treated fair and decent, and as far as I’m concerned we’ll continue to be fair and decent,” Terry said at the time.

Terry—who is survived by his wife of 54 years, Fayrene, four children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren—was a past member of the Oneida Special School District Board of Education. He also served on the Scott County Finance Committee and Scott County Hospital Board of Directors. He was a member of the First Trust & Savings Bank board of directors at the time of his death.

Active in the Tennessee Automobile Association for a number of years, Terry was appointed to the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission by Gov. Winfield Dunn. Later, Gov. Lamar Alexander appointed him to the Conservation Commission. He later served on the Capitol Restoration Advisory Committee.

Terry was also active in a number of civic organizations, having served as president of the Kiwanis Club and commander of the local American Legion.