Dr. Terry David Bilhartz

Terry Bilhartz, 64 Dr. Terry David Bilhartz, age 64, passed on to his Heavenly home on December 12, 2014. Born on January 13, 1950, to Joy Coleman Bilhartz and Harrell Lewis Bilhartz, Terry had a wonderful life well-lived and was beloved by all those who knew him. He graduated from Justin F. Kimball High School in 1968. He obtained degrees from Dallas Baptist College (BS), Emory University (MA), and George Washington University (PhD), and completed post-doctoral studies in history and religion at Vanderbilt University, Stanford University, the University of Connecticut, the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii, and the Australian National University. Terry was a professor of history at Sam Houston State University where he taught and mentored more than 18,000 students during his career. He authored more than 50 articles and book chapters in the fields of history, religion, philosophy, psychology, and medicine. He is the author of Urban Religion and the Second Great Awakening, Francis Asbury’s America, Images of Texas in the Nation (with Paul Ruffin), Constructing the American Past (with Elliot Gorn and Randy Roberts), Sacred Words: A Source Book on the Great Religions of the World, and Currents in American History with Alan Elliott). In the last year of his life, he founded Green Publishing House, a company dedicated to the production and global distribution of scholarly, peer-reviewed books in both digital and print format (www.greenpublishinghouse.com). He leaves a legacy of living each moment to the fullest and always giving of himself cheerfully and wholeheartedly both at Sam Houston State University and at First United Methodist Church in Huntsville. His wife, Patty Morell Bilhartz, and his two children, Rocky David Bilhartz and Teriann Noel Bilhartz Maxwell, could not have been more blessed to have Terry for their husband and father, respectively. He was an inspiration to his friends, family, colleagues, the students that he taught, the youth with whom he worked, the players that he coached, and the animals that he loved. Perhaps the greatest title he ever held was that of “Papa Terry,” the name he was called by his three beloved grandsons, Preston Bilhartz (age 7), Peyton Bilhartz (age 4) and Carson Maxwell (age 14 months). There never was a more devout, loving, dedicated grandfather than Terry, and his grandsons knew the extent of his love for them. His immediate family consisting of Patty Bilhartz; Rocky, Lindsey, Preston, and Peyton Bilhartz; and Teri, Scott, and Carson Maxwell will continue to honor and celebrate Terry’s profound life by “relishing the remarkable ride,” a philosophy that Terry embraced. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, December 16th, 2014, at 4:00 PM at First United Methodist Church, 1016 North Sam Houston Avenue in Huntsville, Texas. Those that would like to leave memorial condolences for the family may do so at www.shmfh.com

Dr. Terry David Bilhartz

January 13, 1950 - December 12, 2014