TerryW
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 3:02 pm
It’s with a heavy heart that I write this:
Terry Stetson Wilson and I broke into the Tampa Bay kayak fishing scene about the same time fifteen years ago. We were both members of the Central Florida Kayak Anglers club, and while I have been fishing the waters of Tampa Bay since I was a kid, I believe Terry was a novice to these waters. She would come to every meeting, hanging on every word of a guest speaker or one of the club members, picking up tips, tactics and locations. We even chartered a trip together for summer time snook. She joined me on several legs of my “Paddle Around the Bay” back in 2008.
We became close friends.
Besides being very passionate about kayak fishing, she was even more passionate about fighting for gifted kids. She was the leading advocate for them in Florida. And I never even knew it. We think we know someone just because we spend time on the water with them, paddling around in little plastic boats. But I really never knew Terry.
And then came the very worst night of my life. My wife suffered a very bad heart attack, (not to worry, she pulled through and is doing fine) but at the time her outcome was grim. When Terry found out, she showed up at the hospital with a bag of snacks, paper to write on and a couple of magazines, stuff your mom might throw in a bag for a road trip. When my world was crumbling around me, she was there. We just sat, not talking much. Even though my family was there, it was very comforting to have a friend there, that familiar smiling face that we all had come to love.
And we became even closer friends.
Terry became a great kayak fisherwomen, she spent more and more time on the water and posted more and more reports, all with her special flare. Very manicured and polished nails. Her one arm photos of redfish were the best.
And then she was gone.
I will always miss her smiling face at the “Pic & Sips”, her weather reports during hurricane season, her caring voice, her Anna Maria Island sunset photos, her shiny red nails.
Most of all, I will miss her being amongst us.
Terry Stetson Wilson and I broke into the Tampa Bay kayak fishing scene about the same time fifteen years ago. We were both members of the Central Florida Kayak Anglers club, and while I have been fishing the waters of Tampa Bay since I was a kid, I believe Terry was a novice to these waters. She would come to every meeting, hanging on every word of a guest speaker or one of the club members, picking up tips, tactics and locations. We even chartered a trip together for summer time snook. She joined me on several legs of my “Paddle Around the Bay” back in 2008.
We became close friends.
Besides being very passionate about kayak fishing, she was even more passionate about fighting for gifted kids. She was the leading advocate for them in Florida. And I never even knew it. We think we know someone just because we spend time on the water with them, paddling around in little plastic boats. But I really never knew Terry.
And then came the very worst night of my life. My wife suffered a very bad heart attack, (not to worry, she pulled through and is doing fine) but at the time her outcome was grim. When Terry found out, she showed up at the hospital with a bag of snacks, paper to write on and a couple of magazines, stuff your mom might throw in a bag for a road trip. When my world was crumbling around me, she was there. We just sat, not talking much. Even though my family was there, it was very comforting to have a friend there, that familiar smiling face that we all had come to love.
And we became even closer friends.
Terry became a great kayak fisherwomen, she spent more and more time on the water and posted more and more reports, all with her special flare. Very manicured and polished nails. Her one arm photos of redfish were the best.
And then she was gone.
I will always miss her smiling face at the “Pic & Sips”, her weather reports during hurricane season, her caring voice, her Anna Maria Island sunset photos, her shiny red nails.
Most of all, I will miss her being amongst us.