Terry Christopher Smith

In Loving Memory of Terry Christopher Smith May 30, 1969–April 14, 2025

On Monday, April 14, 2025, Terry Christopher Smith, age 55, died peacefully at home in Lubbock, Texas, after a fierce two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He passed with a small smile on his lips and his wife’s hand in his own—exactly as he would have wanted: deeply loved, well-held, and entirely himself to the end.

Terry was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Neel Thomas Smith and Era Marie Stewart—but it was Carole Anne Kelley Smith who raised him, and whom he proudly called Mom.

A graduate of Crowley High School’s Class of 1987, Terry was a scholar-athlete with range. He tackled honors classes, played trumpet in both the Marching and Jazz Bands, and pulled double duty on the Ironman football team—offense, defense, and then sprinting to the locker room to change for halftime performances. He powerlifted (with a bench press max of 420 lbs.), built a formidable frame, and casually threw away the trophies he earned, caring more about the effort than the applause. That pretty much sums up his approach to life.

Terry’s academic path was anything but linear—he collected degrees the way others collect souvenirs. He earned an Associate of Arts in Mechanical Drafting from Tarrant County Junior College, a Bachelor of Arts in Sino-Soviet Studies from UT Arlington, two Master’s degrees in English (one in Creative Writing from the University of North Texas, and one in Technical Communication and Rhetoric from Texas Tech University), and reached ABD status in his PhD at Texas Tech. His doctoral work focused on non-linguistic elements of document design, where he maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA. Even after a cancer diagnosis and during a global pandemic, he persisted, writing over 120 pages of his dissertation. Ask him about it, and you’d quickly find yourself on a glorious deep dive into typography, usability, and the ethics of design. He loved the work and was an inspiring educator at the college and university level.

Terry also loved martial arts, earning his black belt in Tae Kwon Do on April 1, 1995, which he always found appropriately ironic. It was through the University Martial Arts Association that he met the great love of his life, Crystal. Together, they shared 30 years of partnership, including 26 and a half years of marriage, marked by fierce loyalty, generous laughter, globe-trotting adventures, and a love story for the ages.

Terry’s list of interests defied brevity: model building, physics, languages, medieval weaponry, engineering, philosophy, pedagogy, mythology, mathematics—you name it, he studied it. He was a Zen Buddhist with Norse leanings, an avid audiophile, a lover of strategy games, and a big fan of arguing (kindly) about abstract concepts late into the night. At various points, he was a member of Mensa, the Triple Nine Society, and was once listed as the 76th smartest person in the U.S. (a fact he found amusing and mostly ignored).

He preferred depth over decoration. He didn’t need accolades—he just needed meaning and understanding. He gave full attention to Crystal and other people he loved. Terry adored his Heart Family: the fiercely loyal chosen family who stood beside him to the very end.

Terry was preceded in death by his father, Neel Thomas Smith; his younger brother, Christian Chance Smith; his mother-in-law, Diane Mae Richardson Elerson; his biological mother, Era Marie Stewart; and all of his grandparents.

He is survived by his wife, Crystal Lee Elerson; his mother, Anne Smith; his older brother, Michael Thomas Smith (and wife, Chantel); his sister, Amy Jo Floyd; his father-in-law, Kerry Ray Elerson; eight nieces, five nephews, and three exceptionally spoiled cats: Mycroft, Quasar, and Grantham.

He is also survived by the beloved members of his chosen Heart Family: Christina Burch, Jay McWhorter, Vicki Peake, Bill Peake, Rachel Elizabeth Khoriander, Brandon Wolfgang Diaz, Rez Weems, Christopher Haughey, Nancy Haughey, Anne Katherine Howell, Rayce Lynn Barlieb, Dennis E. Barlieb, Kathleen Cuyler, Ross Howell, and Beth McKinney.

On April 17, a quiet viewing was held at Combest Funeral Home in Lubbock. Though Terry joked about “being called home to glory,” he made his Buddhist and Norse faith abundantly clear, including that he preferred a Viking funeral. Crystal has honored that wish with cremation and plans to be present for his ID cremation—sending off her warrior in a way that suits him best.

A memorial service will be held in the DFW area at a later date. Until then, may his memory be a mantra, a battle cry, and a brilliant example of a life richly, fully lived.