Terry Was Great Writer and Even Better Person

October 2019

Dayton, TN — Terry Goins, affectionately known as “TG” to many, passed on October 10th, after battling leukemia. Terry was 70 year old.

Many have been touched in the community by the evil of cancer. Every loss is tragic and impacts so many lives. The loss of Terry Goins impacted the community in a big way. Terry was well known for his many years as a sports writer for the local newspaper. Since 2001, he has touched another generation of young people, working as the attendance clerk at Rhea County High School.

At his funeral, there was a long line of people from young to old, coming to pay their last respects. The funeral was full of kind and loving words from those with whom he worked and those who were important in his spiritual life. I saw many young people, and older ones too, who were very emotional at the loss of a dear friend.

Terry was a Rhea County native, who chose to stay in Dayton, TN, and dedicate his life to the local community as a sports writer and as an ambassador to the youth at Rhea County High School. Terry was one of a dying breed of small town sports reporters who put the community above everything by giving back to the community without the monetary gain that would have been available in other professions or at other larger papers. But Terry was more than just a sports writer. He was a very effective ambassador of Rhea County sports. He loved all sports, major and minor sports, alike. He loved our Eagles, all of them.

Terry also was an announcer, clock keeper, and cheerleader in heart for Rhea County sports. He was loved by those who enjoyed his time as an announcer for the Rhea County baseball team and for his famous rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during 4th inning stretch of Eagle home games.

Terry, also, had a talent for music. He was the lead vocalist in the band, "Manshoes", for several years.

Terry grew up on Railroad Street in Dayton, and began working for the local newspaper. He was working at the Dayton Herald when the new Rhea County High School began operation in 1974.

He was there for the championships, the big games, but he was there for losses and hundreds of games that nobody remembers, of course, unless they read his articles. The life of a small town sports writer is not full of glamour. There are many nights away from home, sometimes covering games that are not significant to many, but the games are important to those playing and their loved ones.

I know he covered my children as they played sports for Rhea County. To be truthful, I probably didn’t appreciate the write-ups that Terry gave my children as much as I should have. But today I have a better appreciation of those articles. Young people love to see their names in the paper, and Terry was a very good writer.

In my short time as a young sports writer, I gained an appreciation for the sacrifice that was necessary to write for a small town newspaper. The monetary sacrifice that I now know is rewarded many times over with the sense of satisfaction from giving something important to the community. As an older adult, I have seen first hand the appreciation of the community for coverage of their children.

There were many teachers, coaches and community leaders, who talked about what Terry had meant to them. I think we all missed out if we didn’t take time to just sit and talk to Terry. Micah Ruehling told about a day when he sat and listened to Terry talk about some of the many moments for which he had been around. I wish I had taken the time to do that. Terry was there for so many important events in Rhea County sports history.

Terry was characterized as "determined" by Rhea County Director of Schools, Jerry Levengood. At Terry's funeral, he told a story to emphasize how determined Terry was on a trip to watch the Braves. Terry was determined as they traveled, despite the threat of rain, to see the Braves play even though it rained all the way to Atlanta. His determination made him ready to head back down to Atlanta for a double-header the next day.

T. G. loved to eat! He looked forward to the Friday night pre-game meal in the press box at Bill Horton Field. He had a laugh that was infectious, a laugh that made an impact on so many.

I have included just a few of the many kind words about Terry Goins. There are so many more words out there in the community.

Jesse Messimer described Terry as a man who made an impact on him as a young man, with his wonderful sports stories that were so colorfully spun. Jesse said, “Terry helped form good memories, and they will always be there.”

Rhea County Associate Principal, Micah Ruehling, talked about Terry as a person that he called a friend. He also described Terry as a man who loved God.

Pastor Jeremy Deal of New Union Baptist Church, where the memorial service was held, talked about the many times he looked back and saw Terry and his family faithfully in the back left corner of the church. He spoke about the bond that he formed withTerry before and during his sickness.
Jeremy said, “Terry never broke. He continued to love the Lord throughout the time he was battling cancer.”

Terry was described in many ways by those who knew him. He was kind, loving, encouraging and many other adjectives that were positive. The many kind words would overflow the pages and were so numerous they cannot be shown here. But on the pages of the Facebook, in the halls of Rhea County High School and all around the community, the kind words for Terry could be found.

Samantha Tilley, who has had a very long and tenured photography business in Rhea County, worked with Terry as a photographer for his events in the early days.

Samantha said, “T.G was a co-worker, a mentor, but most of all he was a true friend that taught me so much about living life to the fullest! We shared a lot of late nights at RCHS football games. I would shoot action shoots for TG while he covered the game, and when the games were over, our work had just began, back in the days of darkroom and developing film, while TG put his final touches on his articles in time to be on the news stands on Saturday morning.”

“I loved every minute I worked with TG, and over the years he became one of my dearest friends! Little did I know he would become a friend, mentor, and someone my daughter would look up to and love dearly! One thing that TG had was a connection with kids that was so genuine and special! He truly loved all the students and made each and every one feel so special!”

“Kaci (Tilley) would say, 'Mom, no matter how bad of a day you were having, when you went through the doors of RCHS and TG was there to greet you, everything just seemed better!' God used him to love and make those kids feel special and he did it so well!”

Assistant Principal, Sheila Massengill, knew Terry since high school and worked around Terry for many years. Sheila said, “Terry was liked by everyone. Of course, he was our biggest fan! Calling students to the office to check out was a production of sorts. He loved to make it exciting!”

She remembered, "The last week he was able to work, he and I talked for a long time. Neither of us knew it would be our last conversation. He was having a really good day. We talked about life and how precious it is. We spoke of death, and the reality that sooner or later it would be our time. It wasn’t a dark, unhappy conversation, but one filled with love and anticipation. He knew he was on God’s time and was thankful for every day. Someone else will sit in his chair, but no one will ever take his place.”