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Charlotte A. Terry died on June 16 at her home on the Shinnecock Indian Nation. She was 76.
Affectionately known as “Chubby,” Ms. Terry born on September 19, 1940, at Harlem Hospital in Manhattan, the third of eight children of Edward and Thelma Terry. She was raised on the Shinnecock Reservation along with her siblings and attended Southampton Public Schools. She worked at a variety of trades throughout her lifetime, including at the Southampton Arrow Laundry and at the Suffolk County Criminal Court as a law librarian. She married Albert Gumbs and they moved with their five daughters to Riverhead.
Ms. Terry discovered her passion for helping others while working for EOC and Head Start. Her most enjoyable position was special education teacher’s assistant with the Riverhead Central School District until she retired in 2005, after which she returned to her home on Shinnecock.
Ms. Terry had a passion for softball and played for the team Soul Sisters. She led them to the playoffs with her two-run double. She also enjoyed taking cruises with family and friends. Her favorite hobby was leaving her mark on any dance floor, “the first one on and the last one off,” she was often heard saying.
She was predeceased by her parents, Edward and Thelma Terry; her oldest brother, Clarence “Clack” Terry; and two grandchildren, Terry Brown and Curtis Dennis. She is survived by her daughters, Sonya Allen, Lisa Goree, Janet Terry, Shanna Williams, and Triste Napier; sons-in-law, Kristin Goree, Kassim Williams, and Aaron Napier; siblings Fred Terry (Brenda), Loretta Reddick (TJ), Edward Terry (Cheryl), Carol Josenberger (Harry) of Virginia, Norman Terry (Patricia), and Cheryl Franklin (Edgar); 12 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a host of nieces and nephews, an abundance of friends and family.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Brockett Funeral Home. A funeral service took place on Thursday at the Shinnecock Presbyterian Church, followed by interment in the Shinnecock Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to East End Hospice, eeh.org.
on Jun 26, 2017