A Celebration of Life Service to honor the life and legacy of Terry Crouch, age 69, of Lakefield, will be held Friday, October 23, 2026, at 5:00 PM at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakefield, with a time of visitation and gathering from 3 – 5 PM.
A second Celebration of Life Service for Terry Crouch will be held Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 1:00 PM at United Methodist Church in Pilot Mound, IA, with a time of visitation and gathering from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Burial will be in Lawn Cemetery in Boxholm, Iowa.
In lieu of flowers and gifts, memorial donations in memory of Terry are preferred. All donations will be divided equally among his six grandchildren.
Terry Crouch, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, mechanic, storyteller, prankster, and all-around character, lived a life filled with adventure, laughter, hard work, family, and more than a little trouble along the way.
Terry was born in Pilot Mound, Iowa, to Bill and Doris Crouch. His family later moved to Boxholm, where he grew up and graduated from Grand Community School. The school was directly across the street from his home, and his mom, Doris, was the superintendent’s secretary. Terry was not exactly the model student and had his share of trouble. He always joked that his mom knew he was in trouble before he did. His parents even considered sending him to the Air Force Academy in Colorado to keep him out of trouble.
Terry grew up working in his dad’s convenience stores, back when gas stations were full-service and attendants pumped gas and cleaned windshields. Terry became exceptionally good at cleaning windshields. His dad and Uncle Deck also taught him about automobiles and mechanics, beginning a lifelong love and incredible knowledge of anything mechanical.
One favorite high school prank involved the town police officer. Terry and some friends put the police car on concrete blocks so the tires were off the ground. They then pulled up in front of the officer’s house and did a burnout. The officer came running out to chase them, only to discover his car wouldn’t move. Of course, he blamed the wrong person.
He blamed Jim Hanson.
Terry’s childhood memories also included building model cars in the basement with his best friend Scott and hanging around the older guys who worked at his dad’s station.
After high school, Terry worked briefly building homes in Boone, attended Lincoln Technical Institute, worked with Uncle Deck, and later attended Ellsworth Community College studying petroleum marketing. He didn’t graduate from either school, but he gained knowledge, friendships, and plenty of stories. One of those friendships was with Brad, who remained an important part of his life.
Terry eventually returned to Boxholm and worked with his dad before moving to Des Moines, where he worked for a company with Phillips 66 locations and later became a truck-stop fuel manager. He returned to Boxholm and took over the family business with his brother Robin. They renamed it The Boys Store and More, because their dad had always called it “the boys’ store and more.”
Then Terry came to Northwest Iowa for a wedding—and never moved back.
After working with Brad Roofing, Terry began his career at Rosenboom, becoming one of the original employees of the Spirit Lake company. His knowledge of mechanics, automobiles, and machinery made him a valuable part of the maintenance team. His specialty was playing “fireman” for the CNC machines, but he worked on nearly everything in the building.
Terry had an amazing mechanical mind. He could look at a machine, listen to it, take it apart, and somehow figure out how to make it work again. He truly loved fixing, building, and figuring out how things worked.
But Terry would tell you that his favorite memory was moving to Northwest Iowa and meeting Randine.
Randine became the love of his life and his bride. Together they built a life filled with family, laughter, road trips, vacations, sporting events, and countless memories.
Terry was incredibly proud of his children. He was especially proud of his daughter, Melissa, watching her graduate from college and fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. He loved seeing her become a mother and was blessed to have her family living nearby so he could attend his grandchildren’s sporting events, activities, and accomplishments.
He was equally proud of his son, Garrett, who followed in his footsteps with a love of working on machines. Terry always believed, “Great minds think alike.” He adored Garrett and Katlyn’s miracle boys and hoped they would carry on the Crouch name—and perhaps the Crouch love of machines.
Terry treasured his six grandchildren: Dalton, Makynlee, Oliver, Aynslee, Wesley, and Easton. He loved taking his children and grandchildren on getaways and vacations, believing that the greatest gift was making memories together.
Another special part of Terry’s life was the Shayla Bee Foundation. He treasured the friendships, family, and mission of supporting children and families facing childhood cancer and serious illnesses. Terry loved being part of the Shayla Bee family, especially the motorcycle rides, laughter, fellowship, and adventures. Some rides were smooth, some were rainy, and some ended with everyone simply thanking God for getting from Point A to Point B. Those rides created stories and friendships Terry treasured.
Terry passed away peacefully with his wife by his side on Monday, October 12, 2026, at Sunset Hospice Cottage in Worthington.
Terry will be deeply missed by his beloved bride, Randine; daughter Melissa (Aaron Owen); son Garrett (Katlyn Crouch); and grandchildren Dalton, Makynlee, Oliver, Aynslee, Wesley, and Easton. He is also survived by his brother Robin (Patti) and their children Levi and Heather (Kevin); his very special almost-son-in-law Todd Vinke; mother-in-law Muriel Smith, who considered Terry her favorite son; brothers-in-law Mitchell Smith and Steve Timmons; sister-in-law Candy Timmons; many beloved Crouch uncles, including Deck, Don, Robert, and Bob; aunts Katie, Lois, and Kaye; cousins; coworkers; friends; and his Shayla Bee family.
Terry was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Doris Crouch; niece Gretchen; grandparents Fern and Roy Crouch and Elsie and Lloyd Anderson; and father-in-law Earl Smith, whom Terry never had the chance to meet.
Perhaps heaven had one more family reunion planned. Terry and Earl will finally meet for the first time. And we can only imagine Terry will have a story to tell him.
Terry leaves behind more than accomplishments. He leaves behind stories—the kind that will be told around kitchen tables, campfires, garages, and motorcycle rides for years to come. He leaves his quick wit, mischievous humor, mechanical genius, love of adventure, and unwavering love for his family and friends.
Most of all, he leaves behind the people he loved most—and a lifetime of memories.
Terry didn’t just live life. He tinkered with it, fixed it, occasionally caused a little trouble with it, rode through the rain with it, and made sure the people he loved had a whole lot of fun along the way.
His greatest legacy will be the people he loved, the lives he touched, the friendships he built, and the memories he made.
Rest easy, Terry. Your work here is done.
