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Note: Terry Lee Gasdorf lived in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Nancy ( nee Nesson) Gasdorf. Four daughters: Sheri Lynn (1962), Georgianna (1970) , Wendy Heather (1967) and Holly Ann (1969). Holly died two days after birth.
Terry and Nancy had four foster daughters: Wendy Knudtson, (70-71), Jay Ott, (72-74), Sandy Rinden, (74-75), Debby Hollendyke, (75-76).
OBIT - Madison- Terry L. Gasdorf, age 70, passed away on Thursday, February 9, 2017 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison. He was born on December 13, 1946, the son of Jack and Verna (Topper) Gasdorf. Terry especially loved his family. He was always willing to help out anyone and was known to care of family in need. He enjoyed collecting cars and model trains. Terry was an avid fan of the Packers and Brewers. He was also a very witty guy with a dry sense of humor. Terry had a great love for his dogs. He had many throughout the years and they were all very special.
Terry is survived by his children, Wendy (Paul) Mather and Georgianna (Gary) Halverson; grandchildren, Dustin, Jessie, Patrick, Ryan, Arianna, Anya, Michael, Brandon, Tiffany and Brooke; great-grandchildren, Raeven and Tahlia; girlfriend, Christi Williams and her children and grandchildren; siblings Roger Gasdorf, Jill Topper and Brian Garrett; and other family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy (Nesson) Gasdorf; his parents, Jack and Verna Gasdorf; and daughters, Sheri and Holly.
A Funeral Service will be held at 11am on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, at RYAN FUNERAL HOME, 2418 N Sherman Ave, Madison, with Gary Halverson presiding. Visitation will take place from 10am until the time of service. Burial will follow the service at HIGHLAND MEMORY GARDENS. To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.
Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services 2418 N Sherman Ave 608-249-8257
Birth: Dec. 13, 1946 Madison Dane County Wisconsin, USA Death: Feb. 9, 2017 Madison Dane County Wisconsin, USA
Madison- Terry L. Gasdorf, age 70, passed away on Thursday, February 9, 2017 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison.
He was born on December 13, 1946, the son of Jack and Verna (Topper) Gasdorf.
Terry especially loved his family. He was always willing to help out anyone and was known to care of family in need. He enjoyed collecting cars and model trains. Terry was an avid fan of the Packers and Brewers. He was also a very witty guy with a dry sense of humor. Terry had a great love for his dogs. He had many throughout the years and they were all very special.
Terry is survived by his children, Wendy (Paul) Mather and Georgianna (Gary) Halverson; grandchildren, Dustin, Jessie, Patrick, Ryan, Arianna, Anya, Michael, Brandon, Tiffany and Brooke; great-grandchildren, Raeven and Tahlia; girlfriend, Christi Williams and her children and grandchildren; siblings Roger Gasdorf, Jill Topper and Brian Garrett; and other family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy (Nesson) Gasdorf; his parents, Jack and Verna Gasdorf; and daughters, Sheri and Holly.
A Funeral Service will be held at 11am on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, at RYAN FUNERAL HOME, 2418 N Sherman Ave, Madison, with Gary Halverson presiding. Visitation will take place from 10am until the time of service. Burial will follow the service at HIGHLAND MEMORY GARDENS.
Note: obituary prepared by Ryan & Joyce-Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services.
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Throughout his life Terry was energetically involved in projects while managing to find time to help others, especially his beloved family around whom his life revolved. His time on earth was full, beginning in early childhood.
When we were kids, Terry and I learned how to ride a bike on an old rusty black bike he found in someone's trash. After he made small adjustments to it, off we went, wobbling and falling until we had mastered the skill. He patiently helped our younger brother Roger learn to ride, encouraging him to push past his tears and fears.
Following our youngest brother Brian's birth, Terry mowed lawns and ran errands for neighbors. He gave part of his earnings to help with our living expenses. He learned how to fix things around our home, and was self-taught in most everything he did. He learned how to build an addition onto his home from books and talking with others.
In his teens Terry was in Future Farmers of America. During our stay in Phoenix, Arizona, from 1960 to 1963, he raised chickens in our backyard. He patiently constructed a chicken coup and gave them tender loving care. Unfortunately, his Siamese cats broke into the coup at least twice. I remember him choking back tears when he saw chick feathers and blood dripping from the cats' faces.
Terry excelled in cub scouts and boy scouts, enthusiastically earning one patch after another. He was a talented athlete, participating in track and field, baseball and football. As a child he enjoyed constructing model cars from kits. He continued his hobby into adulthood, amassing an enviable collection.
During his last two years of high school, Terry lived with our maternal grandparents, John and Gladys (Barsness) Topper, on their farm near Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. On weekdays he would rise before daylight, do strenuous farm chores, eat breakfast, and take the bus to school. After school he participated in football and other extracurricular activities. While a student at Mt. Horeb High School, he was captain of the football team and homecoming king.
He graduated from high school in 1965, and then attended in the University of Wisconsin in Madison full-time for a year. At the same time, he held down a full-time job at the UW's Primate Lab, lovingly caring for the primates he so thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to attending college and working full-time, he held a part-time night janitorial position at American Family Insurance. It was there that he met his wife of nearly 45 years, Nancy (Nesson) Gasdorf, one evening when she was working late. They married on June 24, 1968 at Midvale Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin. He was faithful to her to the end.
In 1966, Terry began collecting real cars -- a 1956 Thunderbird, a 1957 Chevy BelAir, 1958 Chevy Impala, four PT Cruisers and many more. In his mid-life he graduated from the auto body maintenance program at Madison Area Technical College. He wanted knowledge to repair the cars he got super good deals on. He was always on the lookout for a bargain. He defended his penchant for cars by saying, "Some people like vacations. I like cars."
In 1967, Terry began working at the Madison Bus Company, first washing them, then changing their tires and finally graduating to mechanical maintenance. He stayed for five or six years. Following that job, he worked full-time in the maintenance department at the UW Memorial Union until he retired in 2006. He was an excellent employee, well-respected and well-liked. Family commitment took precedence over offered promotions. After he retired, he was called back to work part-time which he did for several years until 2015. Last August he was called back a second time but had to decline because his health began failing.
During the early part of their marriage, Terry and Nancy did janitorial work together for extra income. Their steadiest client was the Brathaus on State Street. Regardless of bad weather they diligently cleaned it every morning in the wee hours. It enabled them to afford special perks for their family, for example, a piano and piano lessons for their daughters.
For years, Nancy and Terry were foster parents, helping care for several girls, four in particular: Wendy, Jay, Sandy, and Debby. Their house constantly bustled with people and pets -- big dogs, small dogs, a wide assortment of cats, frogs, tadpoles, fish, mice, gerbils, a white rat, an iguana, and even a skunk named Petunia. He adored his Pomeranian and Pekingese dogs Buster, Benji, Molly, Precious, Skippy, Shadow, and Max. Later, he became attached to his special friend Christi's dogs Sadee and Abbie.
Over the last six years Terry regularly posted an informative, humorous blog called This & That on his Facebook page. It was fun to read. We are memorializing his FB page for others to read in the years to come.
His death was sudden, due to a heart attack and hastened by what was thought to be pulmonary fibrosis -- even though he never smoked cigarettes. The disease forced him to become increasingly dependent on supplemental oxygen. In his last month he required 100% oxygen to function. He died at the north Madison home he had lived in since 1967, the home in which he raised his children, grandchildren and foster children. He was pronounced dead at St. Mary's Hospital.
We will greatly miss the man we called our brother, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend.
contributed by Jill (Gasdorf) Topper, with brothers Roger and Brian, and nieces Georgi and Wendy, and Terry's special friend Christi (Monday) Williams February 17, 2017
Family links: Parents: Jack Gasdorf (1924 - 1978) Verna Mae Topper Gasdorf (1923 - 2011)
Spouse: Nancy Ellen Nesson Gasdorf (1940 - 2012)
Burial: Highland Memory Gardens Madison Dane County Wisconsin, USA
Find A Grave Memorial# 176218488
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