In Memory

Terry Bishop

Terry Bishop: Former councilor leaves legacy of fairness, kindness, and sense of fun

Former councilor leaves legacy of fairness, kindness, and sense of fun

Chaska Herald (MN) - Thursday, July 26, 2007

Terry Bishop dies suddenly July 17

Terry Bishop's sudden death on Tuesday, July 17, is especially difficult for family and friends to understand because Bishop, 52, was a regular at the gym, rode his bike, and golfed. He was lean and fit, not a likely candidate for heart failure.

Victoria firefighters and EMTs were called to Bishop's home in Deer Run last Monday evening at 11:30 p.m. Assistant Fire Chief Gary Sohns and four members of the fire department responded to a call about a possible heart attack. Bishop was first taken to Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, then transported to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Bishop's wife, Lisa, and Victoria firefighter Tom Walsh, an EMT, accompanied Bishop in the ambulance to Abbott.

Bishop's heart stopped once during the transport, Lisa Bishop said, but he was revived with a heart defibrillator. Bishop was conscious when he and Lisa arrived at Abbott, but later died. His funeral was Friday, July 20, at the Church of St. Patrick in Edina. Bishop is survived by his wife Lisa, and his son Michael Sean Sommer-Bishop, 25.



 
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03/21/22 03:08 AM #1    

Bruce Miller

Terry Bishop: Former councilor leaves legacy of fairness, kindness, and sense of fun

Former councilor leaves legacy of fairness, kindness, and sense of fun

Chaska Herald (MN) - Thursday, July 26, 2007

Terry Bishop dies suddenly July 17

Terry Bishop's sudden death on Tuesday, July 17, is especially difficult for family and friends to understand because Bishop, 52, was a regular at the gym, rode his bike, and golfed. He was lean and fit, not a likely candidate for heart failure.

Victoria firefighters and EMTs were called to Bishop's home in Deer Run last Monday evening at 11:30 p.m. Assistant Fire Chief Gary Sohns and four members of the fire department responded to a call about a possible heart attack. Bishop was first taken to Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, then transported to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Bishop's wife, Lisa, and Victoria firefighter Tom Walsh, an EMT, accompanied Bishop in the ambulance to Abbott.

Bishop's heart stopped once during the transport, Lisa Bishop said, but he was revived with a heart defibrillator. Bishop was conscious when he and Lisa arrived at Abbott, but later died. His funeral was Friday, July 20, at the Church of St. Patrick in Edina. Bishop is survived by his wife Lisa, and his son Michael Sean Sommer-Bishop, 25.

A blind date

Lisa and Terry Bishop met on a blind date set up by her friend who worked for Terry. Lisa, also a paralegal, was a little hesitant- she and Terry had both attended Edina High School where she knew of him as the big football guy-she agreed to go out with him. The rest is history, and they were married on Sept. 27, 1997.

The Bishops moved to Victoria in April 2002 from a home near Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. Bishop's son had recently graduated from high school and as the couple considered the future, they felt it was a good time to make a change.

"We'd been driving around out here, looking at homes and we fell in love with Deer Run," Lisa Bishop said. "Victoria was the first place and the last place we looked. Terry loved to golf and living by the golf course was ideal."

Bishop was an attorney and shareholder at Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren, Ltd., where he was a litigator and personal injury attorney. He was a graduate of the University of Minnesota and William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul.

An active newcomer

It didn't take long for Bishop to become involved with the community. Less than six months after arriving, Bishop stepped up to run for a seat on the city council of his new hometown.

"There was an open letter in the local paper," Lisa Bishop recalled. "(Previous mayor) Jerry Bohn had written it, encouraging people to run for City Council. I said, 'Terry, why don't you run? It would be a good way to meet people in the community.'

"So he did, and he won by 21 votes," she said. "We ran the campaign together. We didn't expect him to win. I remember we were at a party on election night and everyone was saying things like, 'Well, you can run again next time.'

"The next mor ning-it was about 5 a.m., Terry was downstairs and checking the election results online. I heard him scream. He came upstairs, stood in the doorway and said, "I won!'"

Bishop served from January 2003 through December 2006. He was a member of the Planning Commission, the Park and Recreation Committee, the Field House Board, and acted as Mayor Pro Tempore.

A Vince Flynn fan

"What people have said to me," Lisa Bishop recalled, "is that Terry was one of the best people they knew. He was so fair, and so kind, and he was a fun guy. I used to say, 'You are the best person I know. He was not your the typical lawyer. He wasn't a scorched earth-type of attorney. He was fair and level-headed."

Lisa Bishop said that they had finally taken a long planned-for trip to Italy in June. They originally planned to go in September 2001, but "9/11 happened and we put it off," she said. They were gone from June 4 through June 13. We went with family, took a lot of pictures, and had a wonderful time," Lisa said.

"And in June - June 28 - we had to put down our dog," she added. "We talked. Should we get another dog? We were up at our lake home, which he loved, and he looked at me and said, 'You need a dog.' The Friday night before he died, we got a black lab puppy. We talked about names and I said, how about Mac. Terry looked up at me and said, 'How about Mitch, as in Mitch Rapp? (the lead character's name in the best selling espionage /terrorism thriller series). Terry loves Vince Flynn books," Lisa said. "Now I have a puppy to train."

Colleagues remember

City Councilor Rick Tieden learned about Bishop's death Tuesday in an e-mail from the city.

"What a blow," Tieden said. "Terry was such a valuable member of the council. He really devoted himself to the issues of the city. That he was an attorney gave him additional insight to provide to council. He was a pleasant, nice man. In January, the city honored Terry Bishop, center, for his service to the city, and thanked his wife, Lisa. Mayor Mary Hershberger Thun presented the Bishops with flowers and a plaque commemorating Terry's four years on the council. Mayor Thun learned of Bishop's death while on vacation and asked mayor pro tempore Kim Roden to extend condolences to Lisa Bishop and family on her behalf.

"There were differences but it's supposed to be that way," Tieden said. "That's why we have five people on the council instead of one. There were times Terry and I had different perspectives. As a council we'd discuss and bring those forward. Both he and I have long histories arguing in the courtroom, Tieden said. "He as an attorney and me as a probation officer. Both of us maintained our positions but what goes on in the courtroom is the courtroom and then you're out of it. On the council, we'd get into it, but during the break we'd have a soda and he and I would be laughing and joking, talking about his lake place, mutual friends, politics. And then we'd go back into session and get back into it.

"I miss his professional input," Tieden said. "I was so shocked and saddened for his family. It makes you sit back and pause and think about how does all this work? He was only 52."

Tieden said the last time he saw Bishop was at Deer Run's clubhouse.

"It was a couple Fridays ago," Tieden said. "I was going to hit a bucket of balls and I had just my driver, 9-iron and putter in my arms, but Terry didn't know that. He looked at me and said, 'Rick, you need more clubs than that to play. I said, 'Not if you know what you're doing.'

"Maybe that's my problem," Terry told Tieden. "Maybe I need to get rid of some of these clubs."

"That was Terry," Tieden said. "He was always funny, and always pleasant. He offered a nice dimension to the City Council and was very civic-minded. He made a lot of contributions to the city."

A neighbor, too

Not only did former mayor Jerry Bohn serve on the council with Bishop, they were also neighbors.

"Terry lived two doors away," Bohn said. "(His death) is a big loss for us. An untimely death like this makes you take pause and appreciate what you have."

Like others, Bohn reflected that Bishop was too young to die."

Things like this aren't supposed to happen to people like Terry who exercised regularly, he wasn't overweight," Bohn said. "Terry was a great council member who provided a reasoned opinion and comments. He thought before he spoke; he was a strong advocate for the city park system, and a strong advocate for the staff. He was really an asset to our community. He always did the right thing, not what was expedient for the few. He also kept his emotions under control. He was a really good person to count on, even-keeled.

"And as a neighbor, I saw him at the Field House on Saturday mornings," Bohn said. "He was a very friendly guy, a very caring guy, and a great man. It's too bad he was taken away so young. He could have done so much more."

A role model

Like everyone else, Councilor Kim Roden was shocked by the news of Bishop's death. "He was too young," Roden said. "Only 52."

To sum up her thoughts on what it was like to serve on the City Council with Bishop, Roden forwarded a copy of a letter she wrote to Bishop in late December, right before his four-year term was up, thanking him for his service, and that he served as a role model for her.

"…you served with commitment, thoughtfulness and intelligence," Roden wrote. "You especially helped this 'rookie' council member, sitting on my left, when I was trying to understand the details and the process in front of us…As a lawyer, you appear to look at the facts first, which is also something I admire. Good decisions and public policy, I believe, are based on good facts and effective process…it was rare when we were not voting in the same manner, and when we did not, I wondered what I was missing…You did your homework and were efficient in comments and debate. As someone who has to focus on 'getting to the point,' you were a role model. Your motives were always what was best for the community and for having a good result…Thank you for helping me learn some of the traits of being an effective council member…I hope that…you will let me know when you think I am on the right or wrong path. Most likely, you will see it before I do."
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Chaska Herald (MN) - Thursday, July 26, 2007

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Chaska Herald () , obit for Terry Bishop: Former councilor leaves legacy of fairness, kindness, and sense of fun, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/15F8630E9BF08AC8-15F8630E9BF08AC8 : accessed 21 March 2022)

06/18/22 07:31 AM #2    

Jim Joyce

I first encountered Terry Bishop when we played against each other as opposing players from Valley View and Southview (VV for him, SV for me). We and our teams competed in football, basketball and baseball.  He was a skilled and tenacious player in all three sports. In trying to slow down and stop him, I was often unsuccessful and kept wondering, “Who is this guy anyway?”  When our guys finally came together in our sophomore year, I was to find out.  Instead of playing against each other we were playing with another, and I was able to see just how competitive and good he was day in and day out in all those sports.  Plus, I soon found out how much of a good team player he was, while also being one of those players who could step up and make the critical and winning plays when needed.

He and Pete Yanda were Co-Captains of our senior year football team, and Terry’s leadership showed through both on and off the field. Except for three games, when he was injured, he was one of the big factors in helping us complete an undefeated season.

Along the way we became good friends off the field and court.  I got to know him for his humor, smarts (sometime smart-aleck) and an occasional wild streak such as when he happily went riding the rails with Burke, Heinzig and Dahl on a lark all the way to Oklahoma. He also set out to be a “Wilderness Guide” in Canada during the summer of ’71 after a “disagreement” with his dad, Norm. However, my dad convinced him otherwise, and he stayed for three weeks at our house as the 6th Joyce boy before patching things up with Norm. That was just in time to lead Captain’s Practice and then Two-a-Day practices as the football season ramped up.

In the spring/summer of 1973 Bish and I took off to Europe with our Eurorail passes, backpacks and a loose idea of where we were headed.  Highlights included wandering around Athens looking for ouzo  & retsina (getting hustled at a backstreet bar to pay outrageous prices & then escaping from a couple of thugs), being blessed in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday by Pope Paul (Terry said, “Man, this must be worth 1,000 Hail Marys and 50 indulgences”) and attending a bullfight in Madrid (we coulda taken those bulls down as bull-headed as we were at that time). It was just the sheer fun of seeing other parts of the world with such a good buddy that gave us both a love of travel, adventure and getting out of tight jams.   “Gotta put on my traveling shoes” by Elvin Bishop (no relation, I think) comes to mind.

Terry went on to become a very successful lawyer and continued his basketball playing at local gyms, water-skiing with Wayne Hagen (his longtime best friend), golfing, fishing and playing cards (“Bet or drop, Joyce, those cards aren’t gonna change by staring at them” he would say). Still competing and doing a number on those who chose to play against him.

To say the least, we were shocked and saddened when Terry died about 10 days before our 35th reunion.  Wayne and I were going to play in a foursome with him and a girl to be named. That was  probably the only game he failed  to show up at.  We missed him then. We miss him now. But he lives on in many of our hearts and memories. I can still see his unstoppable turnround jumpers, whip-saw doubles to left-center and the back of his football jersey as he ran over opposing players (including me).   You da man, Terrence Edward Bishop.  May we meet again on another field of dreams.  

- Jim Joyce 






07/17/22 09:52 AM #3    

Jay Carpenter

Although I don’t remember the year (was it 6th or 7th grade?) I clearly remember the sentiments I felt when Wayne Hagen came to me at Valley View and informed me that a new kid had recently moved in from Chicago. It seemed that a primordial instinct of protecting the turf had set in, and we soon went to size him up. We proceeded to confront him with all the hospitality General “Buck” Turgidson offered Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky as he entered the War Room in “Dr. Strangelove.” Expecting that it would likely take him months, if ever to prove himself worthy of our consideration, we were soon won over by the kid with the full head of jet black hair, the impish smile and his outgoing ways.  Before that day was out, the three of us were headed down a road of years of fun adventures. Whether it was water skiing at Cross Lake, or snow skiing at Wild Mountain, or just sitting around the Hagen  kitchen table with Fran and Roy talking about life, we spent many memorable hours together.

 

Certainly one of Terry’s most memorable traits was his competitiveness in any sport he took up, as most will remember, but he had more skills than just sports.  I remember clearly one evening in high school when a group of us had all gathered at the Bishop house (was it for a Young Life meeting?) we stayed after and sat around the piano and sang songs as Terry played, but mostly sat enthralled as he played solo. He seemed to tackle all aspects of life with that same intensity; he just embodied someone that had a joy of life.

 

Not long after he had won us over, I ended up taking one girl that we thought was interesting, shall we say, to a movie at the Edina Theater. I’m pretty sure it was one of the first dates I had been on, if not the first. Partway through the movie, I happened to glance over to see that she had her head tilted back on the seat back and was staring up into my eyes. Being either naïve, shy, or both, I slowly turned my gaze back towards the screen and watched the rest of the movie. I found it a bit interesting that she never went out with me again. The funny thing though, is that she ended up going out with Bishop the next weekend – and for quite a few more weekends after that.  I’m pretty sure that the reason she did is that she was so impressed by his prowess at playing the piano.  It’s a regret of mine to this day that I never did take up piano playing.

 

(It’s interesting to me that, even though I watched that whole movie, I have no idea what the movie was, yet I’ll never forget those eyes gazing up at me.)

 

I remember that Bishop’s father drove us together on what would be the first of many double dates. It was winter and dark when we picked her up (she was not named Mary.) As she came out of the house, she stepped in front of the headlights and reached up in her miniskirt to pull down the garage door. The look on his dad’s face, with his eyes popped out and his jaw dropped wide open will indelibly be marked in my mind. Seeing the look on his dad’s face, Terry turned his head back to me and shot me one of his biggest smiles.

 

I’ll never forget the day that the three of us (Wayne, Terry and I) almost became permanently inseparable – literally.  We were returning from an early winter day of grouse chasing (I don’t think you’re allowed to call it hunting unless you actually come close to hitting something), heading south on a snow covered two-lane road somewhere north of Anoka. I was driving my brother’s Volkswagon bug, going what I thought was a safe speed along a gentle curve in the road. Headed north on the same road was a snowplow. You know the kind; a dump truck full of sand in the back for traction, an eight foot high plow in the front that could stop within 1.5 miles after slamming on the brakes. As we got about 100 yards in front of it, I started to fish tail. At first, I thought that maybe those nights of fish-tailing for fun in the snow packed Valley View parking lot were going to pay off, but just as we got to the plow, I lost it, and the back of the VW started to the left as we spun into a 360. I thought my last vision on Earth was going to be that of the driver of that plow, with his eyes bugged out, as he mouthed an “OMG!” and I would forever smell the odor of his messed pants (or was that from one of us?) To this day, I have no idea how we missed forever being entombed together in a smashed little red VW. I swear one of our grandkid’s guardian angels gave us a little shove at the last. We came to a dead stop in our lane facing south with the engine stalled. I looked down at the keys, started the engine, and started off down the road at a little slower speed. There was silence for about 10 minutes, when I think we all said simultaneously, “that was close!” I don’t remember us saying too much the rest of the trip. Come to think of it, I don’t recall that either of them ever let me drive in the snow after that; but, of course, that’s more likely the result of a faulty memory.

 

Terry never went with us on summer camping trips in high school, as he was involved in baseball, but we had quite a memorable trip when we were in college as he drove with me back to California one Fall and we camped along the way. (There were 2 other guys on the trip, but for the life of me, I’m not entirely sure right now who they were. Maybe Terry Becker and Mark Casper? I’m just not sure.) We headed straight north to the trans-Canadian highway and drove across the prairie to Calgary, up to Banff, across the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver, then down the coast to California. Although the scenery was fantastic, the trip was made most memorable by the camaraderie we shared.

 

Both in college and during my time in medical school, we were able to spend time visiting and skiing with Wayne out in Colorado. Those times and memories are priceless to me. (The fun we had is captured in one of the photos Jim Joyce posted here.)

 

I regret to say that the last time I saw or spent much time with either Terry or Wayne was at my wedding in Houston. It seems that with the day to day activities of medical training, creating babies, changing diapers, setting up and running a practice, raising the kids, not only the days but the years flew by. It was such a shock when I heard of Terry’s untimely death. It was a forceful reminder that we can’t take anyone’s presence here on earth for granted; in the scheme of things, we’re just here for a flash of time. In Terry’s flash, I know he positively impacted an untold number of people. No one that met him will ever forget that infectious smile and those twinkling eyes and the love of life that he exuded. He is one who is in my prayers every day.

 

Until we meet again, Terry!


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