Memorial services for Terry C. Wells, 77, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence, Kansas. Reverend Randy Weinkauf will officiate. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. A private inurnment will be held at Mount Vernon Cemetery, Atchison, Kansas, at a later date. Terry passed away at Lawrence Memorial Hospital on Sunday, June 23, 2024, with his wife of 44 years at his bedside.

Terry was born on June 25, 1946 in Atchison, Kansas to Lohman C. "Bill" and Marjorie M. Wells. He attended Atchison public schools and graduated from Atchison High School in 1964. Terry also graduated from Pittsburg State University with both a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a Master's Degree in Secondary School Administration.

During his thirty-four-year career as a teacher of English and coach, Mr. Wells taught at Horton High School, Horton, Kansas, Maur Hill Prep School, Atchison, Kansas, De Soto High School, De Soto, Kansas, and Lawrence High School, Lawrence, Kansas. His teaching ranged from Basic English to Writing for the College Bound, and at various times he coached football, boys and girls basketball, and boys and girls track.

Terry married Joan Lundstrom Wells on July 14, 1979 in Atchison, Kansas. She survives of the home with their Goldendoodle, Ginger.

Terry was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lawrence, Kansas.

Terry's family would like to thank the staff of Homestead of Eudora Assisted Living for their kindness, care, and support during the last eight months.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be made in Terry's name to Trinity Lutheran Church, Lawrence, Kansas. Donations should be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 West 13th Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044.

For more information or to post a condolence, go to warrenmcelwain.com.

Pleas sign this guestbook at Obituaries.LJWorld.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Lawrence Journal-World on Jul. 3, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Terry Wells

8 Entries

anthony goetting

June 27, 2025

coach wells was always with a smile and a kind word, had a cool gto judge , and was always a calming influence on young adolescent kids at maur hill prep. Rest in peace coach

michael clem

October 24, 2024

dear joan my condolences to you and your family at the loss of your husband and our coach at maur hill. my name is michael clem and i attended mh 1974-78. my mother passed away last month; as i was going through things, i came across a scrap book of sorts my mom kept for me of newspaper clippings of my athletic accomplishments. inside one of the pages i found this letter from coach wells to my parents! when we lose a loved one sometimes there are these moments of collateral beauty that just resonate. this letter is one of those precious items. i just felt so compelled to share with you. please enjoy its reading it as much as i did.

John Proctor

July 24, 2024

Oh, wow. I just Googled Mr. Wells' name after having a long conversation about him with my brother Brian. He was probably the most important adult influence in my life when I was in high school. He had such an amazing way of expressing affection through sarcasm. I felt like I was the most special person in his classes because he singled me out so often. He did an etymology of my name, noting that a "john" is a toilet and a "proctor" is a monitor, thereby dubbing me Toilet Monitor for the duration of high school. I loved it. My kids still sometimes call me Toilet Monitor after I told them that story.

Sarah Waugh Wamsley

Planted Trees

Megan Sheldon

July 6, 2024

Mr. Wells was an amazing teacher. I went on to earn my doctorate and publish. None of this would have been possible without having had Mr. Wells early on in my education. I often think back on what I learned from him and try pass this on to my students as well. He will be very missed and always remembered.

Ann Peuser

July 5, 2024

Joan
Our thoughts and prayers go to you at this time.
Ann and all of us at Clinton Parkway Nursery

Margaret Douglas

July 3, 2024

Dear Joan, so sorry to hear of Terry´s passing. You are in my thoughts.
Sincerely, Margaret Douglas

Daniel Myers

June 26, 2024

Sorry to hear this news. He was a good coach and also one who could teach. I remember sitting in the west football field end zone on the Monday in the fall of 1971, after the HHS football team had lost the first two games that year. Coach T. Wells talked to the team that day: "Gentlemen, the fun and the good times are over!" I also remember catching my sole varsity TD pass at Elwood later that year as a sophomore, then having him tell me all the next week during drills, "So now that you caught a TD, you think you are BMOC!" Obviously his words had a great effect on those of us who dealt with him. What else to expect from an excellent English teacher? Both and . I last saw him while attending his mother's funeral in Atchison, KS. Fond memories of Coach T. Wells!

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