Mary Margaret Underwood Terp

Mary Margaret Underwood Terp, born July 29, 1937, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Ruth and William Underwood, passed away at the age of 88. The only child of her parents, who had been married 18 years before her arrival, Mary grew up in Kansas City, attended Benton Elementary School and Southeast High School, graduating in 1955. She spent two years at Baker University, where she pledged Zeta Tau Alpha and cherished her time in the sorority house.

After meeting Richard Terp during a summer home from college, Mary married him on August 17, 1957, at Linwood United Methodist Church. The couple lived first in Denver, Colorado, where their son Jeffrey was born in 1958, then returned to Kansas City before moving to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1964. There they welcomed Brad in 1965 and Janae in 1969. Mary became a member of PEO Chapter JY in 1969, later recognized as a 50-year “Golden Girl.” She worked for 26 years at the PEO International Office in the Educational Loan Fund Department, forming many lifelong friendships and helping countless young women pursue higher education.

A woman of deep faith and lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, Mary volunteered as a docent at Salisbury House, founded a Prayer Shawl Ministry at her church, and gave her time to the Urbandale Public Library and her church library. She and Dick shared a rich life filled with close friends, games, potlucks, and laughter. They traveled widely, treasuring trips to the British Isles and Switzerland most of all, and spent more than 20 winters in Phoenix, Arizona. Mary was known for her sewing and knitting, and for keeping homemade cookies and treats in the house for family and friends.

She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Dick; their children, Jeff (Eda) Terp, Brad Terp, and Janae Mitchell (Jon); grandchildren Margaret Novak (Matt), Andrew Terp, Aaron Mitchell, and Adam Mitchell; and great-granddaughter Josiana Novak. Mary’s greatest joys were her roles as wife, mother, and grandmother. She shared a special, 80-year friendship with her childhood neighbor Joyce (Sasse) Lapp, whom she considered the closest thing to a sister. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Mary Terp Scholarship Fund at the University of Nebraska Foundation.