GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — As a community paid their respects to a beloved former principal Saturday, a video of a fun-loving man singing in an antlered hat emerged on a screen in the church.
Friends and family of Terry Usery said it was a fitting tribute to the long-time Gaston County educator.
“He was just a good-hearted person,” said former colleague Johnnie Jefferies. “He was a very nice person and he’ll be missed around everywhere.”
Usery died on Valentine’s Day shortly after testing positive for COVID-19, according to family members. His sister said he did have underlying health conditions.
At the memorial service Saturday, a handful of people sat in pews in Parkwood Baptist Church; some standing and offering comforting words or songs, others sharing stories.
A slideshow spanning the decades of years Usery spent in Gaston County classrooms as an educator and as a principal played on the projection screen.
Usery taught and served as principal at several schools in Gaston County, but Tryon Elementary was his home. His name is at the entrance of the school.
Former co-workers can recall him doing cartwheels outside of the school to the amusement of all of the children around.
He retired in 2014.
At the Celebration of Life service, Usery was remembered as a coach, a mentor, an educator, a musician, and a Christian.
Usery was 68 years old.