Terry Linn Pickard's Obituary
Terry Linn Pickard was born March 6, 1943, in Proctor, Adair County Oklahoma. Terry is a descendant of his grandparents; William A. Pickard and Sarah Neugh Pickard, whose ancestors are listed on the Cherokee Nation 1906 Cherokee Roll and the Dawes Commission Rolls. He is the son of Onni J. Pickard, Cherokee. The town of Proctor was a prominent settling point for the Cherokee Old Settlers and Cherokee who arrived on the Trail of Tears. It is located on Tyner’s Creek, a tributary off the Illinois River and originally was one of the eight Cherokee Nation schools, Goingsnake District, established by the Cherokee Nation.
Terry was preceded in death by his parents Faye c. Mathis and Onni J. Pickard, brothers; Larry D. Pickard and Lorenz Pickard, Denton Pickard, Sisters; Diantha Garner, Patricia Riddle, Connie Hought, Gynne Hendrickson, survived by sister Joan Clark of Oklahoma City.
Terry joined the US Airforce on April 11, 1960 and upon completing Basic Military Training at Lackland AFB, Texas, he was assigned to Keesler AFB, Mississippi in June 1960 for technical training. Terry completed the Air Forces Radar Course for Air Control and Warning (WCW) radar systems; fixed and deployable navigational aids; weather equipment; and radios. As an Air Force Radar Maintainer, he was qualified to install and maintain everything from air traffic control and weather equipment to ground control and navigational aids to ensure aircraft can be safely guided through takeoff and landing.
Following graduation, Terry was assigned to Air Defense Command, 822nd ACW Radar Squadron, Cottonwood Air Force Station in Idaho County, Idaho State. It was initially part of the Air Defense Command Mobil Radar program and operated and maintained three large radar facilities functioning as a Ground Control Intercept station to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the radar scopes. The station provided 24/7 basis to a Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Direction Center where the intruder was analyzed as friendly or hostile.
When Air Defense Command commenced transferring its ACW responsibilities to the Federal Aviation Agency, in February 1964. Terry was honorably separated from the US Air Force at Fairchild AFB, Washington with a terminal reserve obligation of April 11th, 1966. Terry Moved to Garland, Texas where his parents had relocated for employment opportunities
Terry enjoyed full employment with the top Defense companies located in the Dallas area: Mostec, a semiconductor manufacturer, Texas Instruments, E-Systems Garland Division EDS, and Rockwell International, as an engineer. Terry met his wife, Anni while working at SES in Garland and they were married on December 1, 1973. He retired from the defense industry in 2005 and resided as a proud Cherokee Warrior with his wife Anni in Murphy, Texas. Terry passed away peacefully after a long battle with diabetes and Parkinson’s Disease surrounded by his loving and devoted wife and loved ones. They have 4 children: Monica Abbott, Sherry Futrell, Nathan Pickard and Dana Pickard, 3 Grandsons and 5 great grandchildren.
The funeral service will be held on Monday, June 6, 2022, at 10:00am in the Wildwood Chapel - 13005 Greenville Ave., Dallas, Texas 75243. At 1:00pm on the same day, the military committal service will be held at DFW National Cemetery - 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, Texas 75211.
Funeral arrangements for Terry Linn Pickard have been faithfully entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Cemetery
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Parkinson's Foundation: https://www.apdaparkinson.org
or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation at https://www.michaeljfox.org
What’s your fondest memory of Terry?
What’s a lesson you learned from Terry?
Share a story where Terry's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Terry you’ll never forget.
How did Terry make you smile?
