Terry Kaup left this life October 13th at home, surrounded by the people and animals he loved most. He passed away from pancreatic cancer surgery complications. Born in Madera, California in 1951, Terry grew up loving the outdoors, playing tennis, Giants baseball, and riding his bike all around town.

Terry attended college at USC where he studied social work and loved college life as a Trojan. He met his lifelong friends Pete and Donna Jakubowski in college. Pete and Terry would argue politics for hours but loved each other despite their differences. He went on to graduate school at George Williams College to study recreation administration which led to a career in Boys & Girls Clubs. He was so proud of his work at the Santa Ana, Humboldt County, and Santa Cruz Boys & Girls Clubs. As the Director of the Humboldt County Boys & Girls Club, he started the local tee ball league and proudly celebrated the success of many local youth. There, he met his good friends Keith Hawks and Bonnie Bennett. Keith followed Terry to the Santa Cruz Boys Club where they transitioned the club from a Boys Club to a Boys & Girls Club.

He met his wife, Cindi, through HSU’s YES Program “Together in Sign” where they volunteered to support young deaf children in the community. They both went into teaching, sharing a love of children. Terry worked at Arcata Elementary, Green Point School, Glen Paul School, and was a substitute teacher for Eureka City Schools. Once retired, he continued to volunteer in the Special Day Class at Eureka High School.

The highlight of Terry’s life was being an at-home dad to his daughters, Siera and Maya, and their exchange student, Shavez, who was like a son to him the past 20 years. He was so proud of all their musical, athletic and academic pursuits, always cheering them on and celebrating their accomplishments. He never missed any of Siera’s tennis or soccer matches, Maya’s gymnastics or track meets, or their shared Limited Edition choir concerts at Eureka High School.

Many people will remember Terry by his great sense of humor and his fun-loving nature. He really enjoyed making people laugh. He was also very competitive and challenged others to games of all kinds. He was pretty famous during his Boys Club days for his homemade water guns called “water weenies” that could hold five gallons of water and drench a crowd of kids.

Terry is well-known for his love of flower gardening and sharing his flowers with neighbors and friends. He would regularly be found planting new shrubs to attract hummingbirds, redesigning his pond, or playing with his beloved dogs and cats outside in the garden. He enjoyed sharing stories of hiking adventures such as his hike to the top of Mt McKinley or taking his daughters to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. He also had magical moments and stories about buffalo, elk, eagles, whales, manatees and otters.

Terry was on the board of the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. He helped to create and organize the Halloween Festival each year, setting up the lights, tents and music for the magical outdoor experience. He was blessed to be a part of a men’s group for the past twenty years who even managed to meet weekly via Zoom for the past year and half.

Heartfelt thanks to Jan Rowan, Joann Grace, Sue Mossman, Chip Sharpe, Jamal Tharp, Michelle Hastings, the HCOE family, Sonya Glasserkey, Dave Woody, and Rick Greaney for their help in making it through the past few months. The abundance of love and support from the community has meant so very much to the family.

Terry is survived by his wife of 34 years, Cindi Kaup, and their children, Siera and Maya Kaup. His family will spread his ashes at Yosemite, where he spent his youth trekking up mountains and where he and Cindi were married.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Terry Kaup’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.