Terry Sweat

Terry Sweat, age 73, of Covington, TN, passed away on March 3rd, 2023.

Terry was preceded in death by his parents, Pete and Willie Fern Sweat; his brother, Allen Sweat; his nephews, Daniel Sweat and Zachary Charlton; his paternal grandparents, Finley Sweat and Roxie Matkins; his maternal grandparents, Jeffie and Hudie Morris, and Willie Levi Smith; and his beloved dog, Muffy. He is survived by his sisters, Patricia Charlton, Nancy Lishefski, and Valerie Sweeney; his brothers-in-law, Ed Charlton and David Sweeney; his aunts and uncles, Audrey Redmond, Billy and Dorothy Qualls, and James "Buddy" Morris; his nephew, Mark DiBiasi; and his nieces, Michelle Fye, Wendy Stenger, Heather Kercheval, Nicole Lishefski, and Ashley Sweeney.

Terry was born on December 23, 1949. He played the trumpet in the Germantown High School Band, and later taught himself to play the guitar. His uncle Buddy helped him get started at his first job, where he worked as a handyman. Terry served in the Army, was honorably discharged, and returned home to care for his mother and siblings. He had diplomas in Electrical Engineering and Data Processing & Computer Programming. In 2011, he retired from Memphis City Schools after working as a Senior Applications Programmer for many years. Terry Sweat was a longtime private pilot-and after he retired, he spent much of his time building and flying planes with the Jet Guys, as well as completing inspections as a licensed FAA Safety Inspector.

Terry was loved deeply by his family and his many wonderful, loyal friends. His love of fast-speed vehicles didn't start or stop with planes: he enjoyed riding motorcycles and loved sports cars. Although, you'd just as likely see him behind a camera as you would in the driver's seat. He was a man of stunning intelligence, to the point that a close friend once said of him: "If you ask him what time it is, he'll tell you how a clock works." Terry absolutely loved animals-from his beloved dog, Muffy, to a stray cat that visited his house-and regardless if he had a pet of his own at the time, he always had a few treats hidden away for friend's pet or his neighbor's dogs. He was baptized at 14, and confirmed a week before his passing that accepting Jesus is the most important decision a person can make, and his family has peace knowing that he is in Heaven. Terry was a man of integrity, hard work, loyalty, and love, and he will be dearly missed.

Funeral Services for Terry will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday March 8, 2023, in the Chapel of Ronk Funeral Home. Burial with military honors will immediately follow the services at Kail Cemetery in Alamo, TN.

Visitation for family and friends will be from 5:00 - 8:00 pm, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at Ronk Funeral Home.

For those who wish to contribute, flowers can be sent to Ronk Funeral Home, or a memorial donation can be made to one of the organizations below. (If donating, please leave a note that the donation is in honor of Terry Sweat).

To honor Terry's love for animals, donations can be sent to the Tipton County Animal Shelter at www.fotcas.org/donate.

To help fund cancer research, donations can be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/give/memorials-and-dedications.html.