Terry Ann Check

Kieler, Wisconsin

Terry Ann Check, 72, of Kieler, Wisconsin, passed away Thursday, October 27, 2022, as a result of complications associated with her 62-year battle with diabetes.

A Mass of Catholic Christian Burial will be held at 12:00 p.m. Monday, November 7, 2022, at Immaculate Conception Church, Kieler, Wisconsin, with Rev. Bernard Rott officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. There will be a wake from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, November 6, for friends and family at the Immaculate Conception Parish Center, Kieler, where there will be a parish scripture service at 2:45 p.m. There will also be a viewing for friends and family on Monday from 10-11:45 a.m. at the parish center prior to the service. Casey-McNett Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Cuba City is assisting the family.

Terry Ann was born on December 30, 1949, in Mason City, Iowa, the daughter of Clevie and Juanita (Berry) Stevens. She became deaf at an early age and attended the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs, IA until she graduated in 1967. There she made many lifelong friends. After graduation Terry Ann attended the Community College of Denver in Colorado. She subsequently worked for Life Investors Insurance Company in Cedar Rapids, IA. She met her future husband during a deaf club gathering in the basement of a Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids and was later united in marriage to Michael “Mike” R. Check on September 8, 1979, at St. Mary’s Church in Waverly, Iowa. After her marriage she relocated to Mike’s hometown of Kieler, WI and worked in Dubuque, IA and Galena, IL until her retirement. They celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a trip to beautiful Hawaii.

Terry Ann’s life was not an easy one. She became deaf as a small child, was inflicted with type 1 diabetes, and had cataract surgery at the age of 10, and at the age of 16 became seriously ill with encephalitis. However, throughout her life she never let her physical challenges prevent her from enjoying friends and family. She was always trying to do special things to show how much she cared for everyone in her life. This included sending cards and letters, flowers, gifts, or making food. Terry Ann had a special group of friends call the “Golden Girls”. She looked forward to their gatherings whether a lunch out or working on crafts together. The Golden Girls were like her sisters.

Terry Ann was an avid gardener who had a vegetable garden in her back yard and enjoyed trying a variety of different crops. Even though she was diabetic she loved to cook deserts for friends and family. Terry Ann had two cats, Tom and Jerry, who she loved dearly. Terry Ann looked after and cared for her two cats like they were her children. They lived to be 21 (Tom) and 18 (Jerry) years old. Terry Ann and Mike participated in many Iowa Deaf Club events over the years. Their favorite events were the camping activities. Mike had a large RV that provided them many opportunities to enjoy the company of their many friends while seeing the countryside.

During Terry Ann’s life she had a special bond with many of us. She never complained about the burdens that life had given her, and she never lost the desire to put others before herself. She felt that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. There will never be another one like her and we will always be better because we have known and loved her.

Survivors include her husband, Michael Check, Kieler; and two siblings, Cindy Nelson, Harlingen, TX, and Rick (Lori) Stevens, Apple Valley, MN.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

The family wishes to thank the staff of St. Dominic Villa nursing home for their professional support and for their compassion and caring.

In lieu of flowers, a Terry A. Check Memorial Fund has been established. Donations may be sent to the funeral home at 123 N. Jackson St., Cuba City, WI 53807.

Online condolences for the family may be left at www.caseymcnett.com.