- Date Of Birth: September 8, 1932
- Date Of Death: October 2, 2020
- State: Idaho
Terry Lee Sverdsten, 88
Beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, community leader and friend, Terry Lee Sverdsten, 88, of Cataldo, Idaho, passed away October 2, 2020 at his home of Cataldo. He was born September 8, 1932 at the family farmhouse in Cataldo, a short distance of where Terry now resided.
Terry attended and graduated from the Kellogg High School. After high school, Terry spent summers logging with his father in order to work his way through college at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. He majored in business management and minored in music. By the end of his second year in college, there just wasn’t enough money, so he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Terry spent two years in the Army serving in the top ten on the Camp Gordon, Georgia Rifle Team. After serving in the Army, Terry returned to Pacific Lutheran University to complete his degree in business management. During his return, he also met the love of his life Dee Duea and they were married on September 15, 1957.
Terry and brothers, Don and Dale along with their father, owned and operated a family logging business- Sverdsten Logging for many years. In later years, Terry logged with his sons and nephews. After Terry retired from logging, he sold saw blades for saw mills for Saw Technology for several years. He also lovingly took care of his beloved wife Dee, who suffered from Alzheimers, for the last six years of her life; she passed away March 24, 2016.
From 1980 through 1988, Terry served as Idaho Senator for Legislative Districts two and three. He also served as Commissioner for Eastside Kootenai Highway District for more than ten years.
Terry loved and enjoyed his family, cutting firewood, cutting and trimming trees on his tree farm, skidding logs, piling brush and stayed active in logging until present. Terry hunted until his 70’s and had hunted caribou in Alaska with his brother Don.
Terry is survived by one daughter Lucia (Randy) Anderson of Cataldo; three sons David (Suzi) Sverdsten of Cataldo, Paul Sverdsten also of Cataldo and Ron (Marie) Sverdsten of Pinehurst; his grandchildren Jeremy, Casey, Chris, Zachary, Stefanie, Ashley, Ben, Sara and Stephanie; many great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Terry was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Dee, one grandson Todd Sverdsten and two brothers Dale and Don.
