Terry A. Fye, 78, of Punxsutawney, died Sunday, September 6, 2020, at his home.
He was born May 10, 1942, in Rathmel, PA, a son of the late Sara Jane (Snyder) and Elmer F. Fye. On August 21, 1965, he married Charlotte S. (Savage) Fye, who survives.
He was a graduate of IUP, where he earned his B.S. and M.Ed. degrees in Comprehensive Secondary English. He taught English for 35 years at PAHS and later served as an adjunct English instructor at DuBois campus of Penn State University.
He previously operated “The Wordsmith,” a home-based consulting business. At various times he was a Variety Show sponsor (25 years), newspaper and yearbook advisor, dramatics teacher, Student Government sponsor, department chair, public relations writer, coach of the Scholastic Challenge Quiz Team, sponsor of National Honor Society, and narrator of musical concerts for many years.
He was a member of the National Education Association, life member of the Pennsylvania Education Association, the Punxsutawney Area Education Association and a life member of the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees (Jefferson County Chapter).
He was a founder and current president of the Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild; a director and performer in dozens of their productions, as well as appearances with Indiana Players, Inc. and Reitz Theater of DuBois. Among his memorable roles were Elwood P. Dowd in “Harvey,” Kris Kringle in “Miracle on 34th Street,” and Winnie in “Winnie the Pooh.” With composer Dr. Gaspar Santos, he wrote the book and the lyrics for the original musical “Gobbler’s Knob.”
Fye was a feature writer and columnist for “The Spirit” for nearly 30 years. His slice-of-life columns were called “Jottings” and “Jottings, Too.” He also did a cooking column called “From the Printed Page to the Plate,” and a historical column named “Way Back When.” He later served as editor of the Punxsutawney Sesquicentennial Celebration Pictorial History Book.
A former associate editor and feature writer for “Hometown Magazine,” Fye also worked at WPME (WPXZ) Radio, where he was the host of the long-running Sunday night program, “Scrapbook.”
He was Punxsutawney’s man of the year in 1999, and one of the first local recipients of the Good Citizen Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. He was the PASR Volunteer of the Year for 2007.
Fye was the long-time president of the Board of Trustees of Punxsutawney Memorial Library and the former president of Jefferson County Library System Board.
He was a member of First Baptist Church of Punxsutawney, where he was a long-time teacher of Adult Fellowship Class and served many years as a member of the Board of Christian Education. A guest speaker at church services throughout the county, Fye also was a story time reader each month at Sunshine Square Pre-School and a guest reader in many area elementary classrooms.
Fye was active in community activities, volunteering as guest speaker at numerous meetings and serving as a long-time member of the Board of Trustees of Boles Foundation.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters; Laurel L. Sciukas and husband Paul of York, PA; and Bethany Stanford and husband Todd of Selinsgrove, PA; two grandchildren, Veronica Lee Stanford and Quinn Michael Stanford, both of Selinsgrove; and two brothers; Carl Fye and husband Doug Roper of Palm Springs, California; and Roger Fye and husband Bill Schlagel of Cathedral City, California.
He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, and mother- and father-in-law.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, September 11, 2020, at the Deeley Funeral Home, Punxsutawney. At Terry’s request, masks and social distancing guidelines will be followed for the visitation. A funeral service will be held privately for the family. Interment will be in Circle Hill Cemetery, Punxsutawney.
Memorial contributions may be made, in memory of Mr. Fye, to the First Baptist Church, Punxsutawney Memorial Library, Punxsutawney Ambulance Service, Community Action Heating Fund, or to the charity of your choice.
Online condolences may be made at www.deeleyfuneralhome.com.
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