Terah Lynn Billings passed away in his sleep on Monday, February 1, 2021 at the age of 85 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was born on July 9, 1935 in Delta, Utah to Gerald Oraian and Anna Wilcox Billings. Terah grew up in Delta on the family farm where he enjoyed raising animals. He had a particular love for and talent with horses. He graduated from Delta High School. Then he went to work as a cheesemaker at the Creamery. In 1956 he was drafted into the US Army and stationed two years in Washington DC. During his service he performed duties as a guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After being discharged, he was called at 25 years old to serve as a LDS missionary in the North Central States - mainly serving in Minnesota. He attended Utah State University, then was employed by Thiokol as a plant operator and later as security guard.
In 1957, while on a leave during his military service, he was set up on a blind date back in Salt Lake. There he met Joye Wright. Their relationship blossomed, and Terah married the love of his life in the Salt Lake Temple on November 22, 1963. The day also made extremely memorable by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. They made their home in Salt Lake and Terah began working as a milkman for Hi-Land Dairy. Terah loved his hometown of Delta and returned many weekends to enjoyed time back on the family farm. He attended Salt Lake City Trade Tech and became a barber hoping to open a shop back in Delta. However, he was given a job at the Mill Hollow School with the Granite School District as a bus driver, custodian and maintenance manager. He moved his family to Holladay, and once there also served as facilities manager of the Holladay 18th Ward. In his mid-thirties he decided to again pursue a college degree and attended classes at the University of Utah. He then got a job as a Monroc truck driver, delivering concrete all over the Salt lake Valley and surrounding states. He retired from Monroc in 2000 after 29 years. Free to again enjoy working the soil, Terah and Joye bought a little farm in La Verkin, Utah, and enjoyed tending peach trees, raising a small herd of goats, and growing vegetables.
Terah enjoyed swimming, fishing, camping, horses and the family farm in Delta. Above all he loved his family. He was father of 9 children, and a second father to many kids in the neighborhood. He served years as a boy scout leader. He loved time spent on family vacations. Each summer he packed up his family and they hit the road. He took all his children across the United States, to Canada, Alaska, Mexico and Hawaii. As Joye says, “Terah has always been a Grand Man.”
Terah is survived by wife: Joye; children: Tonya, Zachary, Benjamin, Raquel, Joshua, MaryAnna, Seth, Adam, and Rebekah. 32 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren; siblings: Arlene Billings, Wanda (Milo/Brad/Thurman) Barker, Fenton (Jackie) Billings, Bryce (Marylyn) Billings. He was preceded in death by his siblings: Geraldine (Ellis) Carter, Lucile (Grant) Western, Cecil (Kathryn) Billings, Howard (Dolores/Lois) Billings, George Billings, Blanche (Kay) Mathews.
Funeral Services attended by family will be held on Thursday, February 11, at 2:30 pm. Friends are invited to view the recorded video of the service at: https://youtu.be/VRoFJMUoAYE. Burial with military honors will be in the Delta City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers his family encourages donations to the charity of your choice in Terah's honor.