Terry Raymond Housley
Terry Raymond Housley, senior master sergeant, USAF (Ret.), 74, of Powell, Tennessee, and most recently of Wedgefield, South Carolina, passed away June 6, 2026, in Sumter County, South Carolina.
Terry was born in Powell to Zella Mae Roop Housley and Leonard R. Housley. He grew up in Anderson County and graduated from Clinton High School with the Class of 1971.
Senior Master Sgt. Housley earned an associate degree in logistics management from the Community College of the Air Force, a bachelor’s degree in human resources administration from Saint Leo University in 2002, and a master of science in management from Troy State University in 2004.
He entered active duty in 1971, and, throughout his 27-year military career, attended numerous war-planning courses before becoming an instructor in logistics and transportation studies.
As a respected logistics and air-transportation planner, Senior Master Sgt. Housley exemplified the core values of a senior noncommissioned officer in the Air Force.
He led by example and became recognized for his expertise in planning bare-base sustainment operations crucial to the success of combat operations. His assignments took him to many areas of conflict around the world, including Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia during the Gulf War. He served in a variety of roles at the higher headquarters, wing and squadron levels, specializing in air-transportation and logistics management. He was fond of saying, “I am not a hero, but did have the honor of walking beside a few.”
During the height of the Cold War, he supported numerous covert and Joint Chiefs of Staff deployments, as well as combat operations, including Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, and Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Iraq during the liberation of Kuwait.
He was a persistent results-oriented military planner who shied away from notoriety and preferred to fly below the radar. His military decorations included the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters. Senior Master Sgt. Housley retired from USCENTAF/AFCENT at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, in 1997.
Following his military retirement, he worked for the Bryan Law Firm in Sumter, South Carolina, and later for DynCorp, where he managed war-reserve materials as an international civilian contractor. Health and family circumstances led him into retirement in 2004.
Terry was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hiking, hunting, boating, fishing and outdoor photography. He truly enjoyed the unmatched beauty of the local hills and streams of East Tennessee.
In his youth, he enjoyed observing wildlife, searching for wildflowers, digging ginseng, and ethical trapping for fur, food and sport.
He often credited his late mother (Zella, 1927-2008) for his spiritual awareness and moral compass, and his late father (Leonard, 1911-1988) for instilling in him a strong work ethic and exceptional interpersonal skills.
He was also a passionate fan of the Tennessee Volunteers, the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Falcons. He often joked that he hoped his favorite teams would attend his funeral “so they could let me down one last time.” His brother, Paul, also shared many memorable fishing trips in Florida and deer hunting adventures in Georgia, experiences Terry always treasured.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Leonard A. Housley (1935-2011) and Donald Dyer (1949-2022) and his twin brother, Larry R. Housley (1952-2024).
He is survived by his brother Paul Housley and wife Teresa Dyer; sisters-in-law Donna Dyer and Sylvia Housley; longtime companion Brenda Myers and her loving family; several nieces, nephews, cousins; and many friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to a reputable veterans organization, Alzheimer’s research organization, a charity of your choice or by planting a tree in Terry’s memory.
The family will receive friends Wednesday, June 24, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Jones Mortuary, 375 N. Main St., Clinton. A funeral will follow at 7 p.m.
A graveside service with military honors will be held Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 10 a.m. at East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 2200 E. Gov. John Sevier Highway, Knoxville. Family, friends and veterans are invited to attend and are asked to arrive by 9:45 a.m.
