Terry LeGrande Maddox was born in Elizabeth City, NC on December 16, 1949, and died peacefully in his sleep on December 21, 2022, at his home in Gatlinburg, TN. Terry was the middle child who his mother always described as her model son, and his laid back, easygoing personality was typical of a middle child. When he was a young boy, Terry loved the summers he spent at the cottage of a family friend on the sound side at Nags Head, North Carolina, near his Elizabeth City home, but in the springs, he enjoyed family vacations to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a place that would hold special significance later in life. In young adulthood, Terry graduated from and worked for the University of North Carolina for many years – GO HEELS! His love of all things Tarheel stayed with him his entire life. If the ‘Heels were playing, you could be sure that Terry was cheering them on!

In early 1990, a career shift brought Terry to Gatlinburg, where he took the position of Executive Director of the Great Smoky Mountains Association. This was an ideal opportunity for him, as Terry was passionate about preserving nature, helping animals, and educating the public about our National Parks. He absolutely loved his work, and he had a long and distinguished career at the Association as a diligent steward of its mission. While his accomplishments are far too numerous to list, there were two he placed at the top of the list when he retired in 2015. The first was the construction of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, which opened in 2011 and earned him the Department of the Interior’s Citizen’s Award for Exceptional Service. The other was taking steps to help the Association to become a major publisher of books, field guides, maps, videos, podcasts, and web-based materials specific to the Smokies. He relished the opportunity to excite others about the National Park he so loved. Terry was a fair and supportive leader and an honorable man, evidenced during the government shutdown of 2013, when he used daily video updates to stress the need to support the lower-level government employees whose livelihoods were at stake. Terry loved his life in Gatlinburg. It was here that he met Sue, his beloved wife and partner of 25 years, who so shared his love of nature and the Parks that they were married on Mt. LeConte in 1997. In addition to being a passionate advocate for the National Park and respected community leader, he was a proud Rotarian, and for a while, Terry enjoyed singing tenor with the Gatlinburg Community Chorale and barbershop quartet.

Everyone who had the pleasure of knowing and loving Terry described him as friendly, easy to talk to, and welcoming. He didn’t know a stranger, and his gentle demeanor made everyone feel at ease in his company. Terry loved to travel – both throughout the US and abroad, but especially to our country’s national parks. Equally at home in fine dining restaurants and sandwich stands, Terry loved delicious food; few people knew his ability to make the perfect Belgian waffle, though. He enjoyed anything involving blueberries, and he was one of the few people who thought fruitcake was a delicacy! Terry also had a fondness for the newest technological developments and could be guaranteed to purchase the newest, greatest tech gizmo. He loved to laugh, and he had the best laugh – a high tenor giggle which he inherited from his dad.

Terry was preceded in death by his father, Arbrey “Skip” Maddox and his brother, Steven Maddox, and he is survived by his wife, Sue Maddox of Gatlinburg, TN; mother, Nina Maddox of DeLand, FL; children, Shelley Maddox (Dwight Dockery) of Maryville, TN and Shannon Maddox (Jessica) and granddaughter, Jaina of Acworth, GA; brother, Craig Maddox (Jeannie) of DeLand, FL; stepdaughters, Jenny and Jacki Arthur of Knoxville, TN; niece, Stephanie Maddox of Queenstown, New Zealand; and nephew, Stuart Maddox of Jacksonville, FL.

To honor Terry, memorial donations may be made to the Great Smoky Mountains Association, Friends of the Smokies, or the Appalachian Bear Rescue.

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