Terry Lee Dyroff's Obituary
Terry Lee Dyroff (77) passed away unexpectedly at home on Sunday, November 20, 2022, in Silver Spring, MD.
Terry was a man of tremendous accomplishment and lived a life full of adventure and curiosity. From Dupo, IL, he was born on November 7, 1945. As a boy, Terry had an endless thirst for knowledge and fell in love with scientific exploration through his own experiments at home and investigating all that nature had to offer him. After graduating from Dupo High School, Terry attended the Universities of Illinois, Southern, IL, and Maryland, receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He served in the U.S. Army for two years before beginning his career as a professor of geology and meteorology at Montgomery College (Rockville, MD). Terry also taught briefly at St. Albans School (Washington, DC). He led camping tours for teenagers to the national parks for many summers, which his former students remember fondly to this day. In addition to his career in teaching, Terry wrote several books on meteorology and was a consultant on over a dozen National Geographic videos.
After retirement, Terry concentrated on his passion for music, singing and playing blues harmonica in local bands, and producing a CD. He was also a competitive whistler, once winning at the world championships in Japan. Terry was a man of many talents, taking on every new hobby and skill with determination and the desire to learn. He enjoyed hobbies including sports, art, gardening, and woodworking, a skill he learned from his father. An accomplished nature photographer and avid backpacker, Terry visited most of the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific primarily in pursuit of his interests in physical science and anthropology. His travels to every country in Central and South America (with brother Lou) enabled him to be conversant in “mal Español.” When Terry wasn’t exploring the world, he loved being around his family.
Evenings at home weren’t complete without a cold beer, a Cardinals game, and his amazingly bad dad jokes that always filled his home with heartwarming laughter. He loved immersing himself in nature at his country property near Leesburg, VA, where he built his beloved tree house, complete with all the amenities for wonderful weekend overnights with his kids. He loved nothing more than teaching his children, and later his granddaughter, how to fish, catch crawdads, build fires, and identify plants and clouds on a good hike along the creek, always with a dog in tow. Later in life, Terry enjoyed learning about his family history and relatives, including visiting the Dyroff ancestral home of more than 10 generations in Hofstetten, Germany. Terry loved a good adventure and took on new challenges with a vengeance. He touched the lives of countless people with his passion and enthusiasm for science and nature, and his kind heartedness and sense of humor made him a man hard to forget.
Terry is survived by his wife of 36 years, Patricia Darsie, brother, David (Jo) Dyroff, children, Emma (Joe) McClary and Toby Dyroff, grandchildren, Jennah, Jordie, and Jyaire, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Erwin and Pauline (nee Barton) Dyroff, and brother, Louis Dyroff.
A public celebration of life service will be held in the Spring of 2023, details forthcoming. Condolences may be expressed on Facebook or via email to his family ([email protected]).
What’s your fondest memory of Terry?
What’s a lesson you learned from Terry?
Share a story where Terry's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Terry you’ll never forget.
How did Terry make you smile?