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TERRY JAMES BEARD aka "Tommy the Leprechaun"
Born: July 18, 1949 Akron, OH
Passed on: June 13, 2003 Missoula, MT (age 53)
Cause of Death: Complications of Emphysema
Terry is survived by his parents, Bonnie Winkle and Jim Beard
Terry was the third out of a total of seven children.
Terry's siblings:
Tom, Jerrie, Sherry, (twins) Betsy & Becky and Susie.
Terry attended Prairie Grove Elementary School & Cary Grove High School.
Terry was very much involved in school plays at Cary-Grove High.
Terry loved to "Entertain" and followed his dreams meeting new people, traveling and performing for children at Missoula grade schools. A lot of these children wrote to Terry upon hearing of his deteriorating health... It showed the impact that Terry had made on people that surrounded him.
Throughout Terry's life, he always wanted to just make people "smile" and that my friend; he accomplished well. He had many friends. Terry even in the end decided to donate his body so others could benefit and that even in his death, he would be helping new doctors and internships learn.
I am his younger sister, Becky and I miss him everyday, but I know he is in a good place; singing and playing his guitar, performing his magic tricks and smiling.
For those of you that knew Terry; would also know that he had a big heart, enjoyed life to the fullest, and enjoyed the friends he made throughout his life. Terry's legacy will live on through the hearts of others that he touched.
Thank you for remembering our brother, Terry...
BECKY (BEARD) BECK
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Also feel free to share your memories of Terry with us. It's really not so much about the dying that matters; but how Terry lived and affected your life personally . . .
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Liz Ballantine (Petzak)
Probably most of our classmates don't know that Terry was a street "performer" before he died. Missoula, MT is a liberal (they call it "granola" here) college town in the middle of a conservative cowboy state, and that's where he spent a lot of time as "Tommy the Leprechaun". I'd met him accidentally on the street a year or so before he got sick, and didn't even recognize him, nor he me. He constantly drew crowds that day, all day long, keeping up his routine....performing, making balloon critters for the kids, all dressed up in his little leprechaun costume. Had I only known....It wasn't until he became sick and had to give up performing and move to assisted living that I started to put it together who he really was. There were news stories then about him, TV, radio, the papers. People from all over Montana, and beyond, really missed him. He never wanted anyone to know his real name or where he was from. But his stature, voice and that theatrical personality all came back to me when I read about his illness. And then when he died, the blanks filled in and I KNEW for sure it was Terry I'd talked to, as Tommy the Leprechaun.
He was much loved as Tommy, especially by the college kids. For many, many years, he was a huge part of local culture, and when students graduated and moved on, they would still look for Tommy when they visited UofM. I rarely went to Missoula, and wasn't aware of his notoriety there, or I would've tried to make contact with "Terry". I'd like to think he'd still have remembered me, but who knows.
He was a good friend to me and my family back in the day, in Cary. He tutored me and was always positive and supportive when I'd get "down" about my life. He helped my mom out around the house after I moved away, and stayed in touch with her after graduation, until he left town. We never heard from him again, or knew where he'd gone.
I just wanted to share a little more about his life after graduation. He was such a character in school, you either loved him or he drove you crazy (sometimes both @ same time). I would never have dreamed he'd end living and dying practically next door to me, but there you go.
Hope this link works. It's an article about Terry from the daily paper that helped me put the puzzle together about who he really was. Not completely accurate, but still....
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2003/06/14/news/local/news03.txt
(Note: copy and paste link to read the article)
Jeanne Hrodey (Ellenwood)
As I put together the slide show for "PRIAM SHOTS"; it occurred to me that whatever was going on; Terry was very much right there in the center of it all. Terry was such an entertainer even back then that when his sister Becky wrote to me and telling me what Terry was up to in his later years; I wasn't at all surprised. Terry loved entertaining people and it showed throughout the "PRIAM SHOTS" slide show and the many accolades and tributes given to him in the newspaper clippings I received from Becky. He just put himself out there. He was the consummate entertainer he was destined to be.Some of the memories I have of Terry is when he would "preen" and stand/walk on the balls of feet to make himself look taller. I used to laugh at that; because even though Terry was short; his personality made up for it. He knew how to put himself out there. Even when he poked fun at others; he poked fun at himself as well. As Liz stated in her tribute to Terry; he could be irritating at times; because he could drive people crazy with his antics.
Terry was such a funny guy and his entertaining ways are sorely missed. God Bless his talents because he had such a gift and ability to make people laugh; even at themselves! People enjoyed his entertaining ways and that's what made him such a memorable "character"... People just couldn't get enough of him.
Tracey Roach (Solitare)
Hi, I am Tracey Solitare (Roach) I graduated with Terry and I recently became an alumni member on this web site. I was so saddened to hear that Terry has passed away.
Terry and I were good friends in high school and he was good friends with my brother Jeff Roach, who passed away in 2004 from a heart attack. Terry was such a jokster and I loved him because no matter how difficult the situation, he still had a sense of humor. The worst day of my life with Terry was when he got his thumb caught in the lift line apparatus one winter at the ski run in Cary. I wil never forget that day. I felt so bad for him. When he recuperated though, his outlook on life never changed. He was Terry, the optomist.
I will miss you Terry. I was hoping that since I found the alumni web site, we would one day meet again. Goodbye my friend. Love, Tracey