Passing of Terry Waters

Terry (Terence William) Waters          (January 10, 1940 – December 27, 2020)

Terence William Waters, .P Eng, and valued Member and Principle Observer for the Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation (RMERF), passed away on Sunday, December 27, 2020.  Details of his life are available at link obituary.

I first met Terry and his wife Nancy in 2005 when they appeared at RMERF functions as members.  He then began to assist us in the field during our Spring 2010 Lorette Raptor Count.  There he demonstrated the knowledge and willingness to take on the challenge of Principle Observer.  That fall he put that skill to use and faithfully volunteered his time and expertise, and that of some of his family members to our field counts until health issues intervened on the 2017 Spring Count.  Terry’s presence is best described in the words of Heinz Unger, a fellow observer:

Terry Waters

 

It was a cold and windy day – as usual for hay Meadow – but as I approached the count site I could see the Principal Observer, a towering, stoic figure untouched by the lousy weather. It’s always a concern when one first meets a new fellow observer but I realized I had lucked out with Terry, a fellow P.Eng., engaging to talk with, but he could also be quiet, especially when the migration was busy or the day got rather long. I very much enjoyed being paired up with him. So I was also happy to support Terry when he ran for a seat on the Council of APEGA, the professional engineers association of Alberta, especially as not enough good and knowledgeable people volunteer for such boards. And Terry surprised me once more when I ran into him at a performance of Opera Calgary at the Jubilee. After the usual quick review of the opera, we slipped into talking about brewing beer and some related engineering aspects. In summary, Terry Waters, was a renaissance man, a birder who spotted and aged golden eagles, attended classic opera performances, got into brewing beer, and was a true engineering professional – he’ll be missed in many places.

 

Heinz Unger, January 2021

We in RMERF will miss Terry who, in addition to his contributions to the field counts, was always a welcome and active participant in RMERF social functions.   It is there we have a number of photo records.  Several taken at our annual summer BBQs are attached.

Terry and Nancy Waters (1939-2011) discuss world affairs with Margo Hansen at the RMERF annual BBQ (18 Aug 2007).

Terry Waters again discussing world affairs with Margo Hansen at the RMERF annual BBQ (27 Aug 2016).

Terry Waters, Gus Yaki (1932-2020) and Aileen Pelzer on BBQ duty at the RMERF annual BBQ (27 Aug 2016).

Terry Waters and Rosemary Power on BBQ duty at the RMERF annual BBQ (24 Aug 2019).