JOHN LARRY TERRELL

JOHN TERRELL ObituaryObituary published on Legacy.com by Stuart Mortuary, Inc. - Indianapolis on Mar. 14, 2026.John Larry Terrell, son of the late Leother Terrell, Sr. and Malissa Lauray, was born on September 13, 1946 in Hermanville (Claiborne Country) Mississippi.John relocated from Mississippi to Detroit and attended Hamtramack High school. They subsequently relocated to Indianapolis in 1964 where he attended and graduated from Crispus Attucks High School in 1965. A standout baseball player, John was recruited by Tony Hinkle of Butler University where he would have been one of the first African American baseball players to play for Butler. His dreams of being a baseball player were altered that summer, as John was drafted into the Army and would later serve in the Vietnam War.Shortly after returning from Vietnam and being honorably discharged from the Army, John married and had four daughters from that union. John had a strong love for music. He was the founder of Naptown Records. He was also a music composer and producer, having written music for the popular Indy music talent, The Sentimentals. He also had a brief stint as a concert promoter. Whenever you were around John, you would either find him with a bass guitar in his hands or playing blues ri s on the piano; but always with a notebook writing a song.John worked at International Harvester for 38 years. During his time at Harvester, he also pursued two of his personal interests; becoming a business owner and learning to hone his cooking skills. He attended and completed his degree at ITT Tech for heating and air conditioning. He then started his own business, Airstream Heating and Air Conditioning. Later, he attended Ivy Tech for Culinary Arts. After 38 years, he retired from Harvester (Navistar) on August 1, 2010. Following his employment, he regularly spent his mornings chatting it up with his former co-workers and friends at McDonald's and his "Breakfast Club" members.John kept himself busy with many hobbies, interests, and clubs. He was a member of the Twelve Sportsman Club and Local UAW 226. He loved doing yard work, traveling, scuba diving, cooking his famous BBQ Ribs, taking photographs, and playing pool. An avid sports fan, he spent many evenings watching his favorite college basketball team, Indiana University. John loved his family immensely. He enjoyed regular visits with his siblings and his cousins, but he especially cherished his time with his four daughters and his grandchildren.John was an active and faithful member of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist church where he participated in the upkeep of the grounds as well as regularly donating to the food pantry. He was recently honored for being a long-standing member of 50 years.John Larry Terrell departed this life on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at the age of seventy-nine. He was preceded in death by his parents.John is survived by three brothers and three sisters; Leother Terrell, Jr., Curtis (Cheryl) Gregory, Janice Gregory, Keith Terrell, Sadonia Terrell, Mariether Terrell; four daughters, June (Royce) Cheatham, Jo'Ni (Herman) Kelley, Joey (Michael) Sturgis, Johnnetta (Tracy) Springer; one niece, Rachel Gregory; twenty-one grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, one great-great grandson, thirteen first cousins, and host of other relatives, friends, and neighbors who dearly love him. John will be truly missed.To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of JOHN LARRY TERRELL, please visit our floral store.To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.