One of eastern Wisconsin’s treasures, Terry Knier passed away, doing what he loved.

Terry Knier lived a full and passionate life. His dedication to life, family and recreation should be celebrated.  His involvement in Nordic skiing and coaching left a lasting impact on many young athletes which can be measured by the hundreds of kids he taught to ski. “Terry was a coach for the Storm Nordic Youth Ski Team”, co-coach Brian Henriksen reflected.   “It was Terry, my wife Tina, and I that started the team 20 years ago.  Without Terry, we would not have gotten the team off the ground. He probably taught more kids to ski than anyone else in Sheboygan County,” Hendriksen explained.

Head Coach Steve Scharrer appreciated that Terry was always willing to groom for the Youth Team’s practices in any weather condition. “He once groomed during a heavy thunder-snow event and enjoyed the lightning show. So now, whenever I hear the AC/DC song, Thunderstruck, I think of Terry; he liked that type of music,” Scharrer reminisced.  “During our racing heyday, we traveled to four consecutive weekends of marathon races- The Birkie, Red Earth Loppet, Great Bear Chase, and the Tahquamenon Falls Marathon. There were a lot of laughs during those road trips.  Every time we drove through Escanaba, Terry would call it Freeze-your-noba.”

Enthusiastic about sports? That’s Terry.  Besides skiing and biking; he was an avid fisherman, hunter, coach, and dog-lover. He also enjoyed writing articles for local media and the Ski Club newsletter, often with a humorous bent.

Ski Trail Grooming? Yes, that too.  Terry was instrumental in developing the trail grooming program at the Evergreen/Maywood Park system in Sheboygan and also groomed for the Kettle Moraine Ski Club at Greenbush.

Like craft beers? Terry was a home brewer before home brewing was a thing. His pumpkin ale was locally renowned. What’s a ski race without a celebratory beer? “I never felt a trace of guilt enjoying a couple of pints of Terry’s pumpkin ale following a race,” reflected ski and travel buddy Mark Sharon.    “Terry referred to it as liquid bread.  What could be bad about bread?”

“Many people don’t know that Terry is a rocker and garage band guitarist. We were doing the Austrian World Loppet race when Terry spied a Metallica neck chain on our waiter Tomas.  Not knowing if Tomas understood English Terry remarked, “Hey Tommy, this HOT CHOCOLATE ROCKS!” Tomas looked down at his Metallica chain and smiled.  The next morning at breakfast, Tomas remarked in broken English “So, would you like some of the ROCKING HOT CHOCOLATE?”  We all cracked up. Terry and Tomas had a bond,” Sharon related.

Henriksen talked about the time he met Terry many years ago at Birkie.  “Terry was a 1st wave skier. As we were coming off the Powerlines, I heard this guy bitching out a skier that had broken a different skier's pole.  It was Terry reaming this sloppy skier out,” Henriksen laughed.

Terry fought back from a cardiac/embolism incident 18 years earlier. Rather than letting it hinder him, he redirected his focus to coaching and working with beginner skiers, besides the other myriad of activities he was involved with.

His observational humor was a delight to witness. The understated, deadpan, straight-faced delivery was a delight to witness. The first time he impersonated a deer tick waiting for me in the brush almost put me down. Terry and wife Judi had a wide circle of friends from many aspects of life. It was a joy to run into them and hear Terry’s latest humorous spin on life.

Terry retired as a Lieutenant with the Sheboygan Fire Department after 23 years of service. He relished his time with wife Judi, kids Kayla and Kevin and grandkids.

His love of skiing and hunting were intertwined, and he was passionate about both.  “He was so happy that Sunday. He didn’t know I was going to surprise him (at the Ariens Nordic Biathlon). We had such a nice time talking to old friends before that event,” Judi shared.

Terry passed while competing in the biathlon event at the Ariens Nordic Center on Sunday, January 7, which reflects the way he approached life—fully immersed and enthusiastic.  Terry's legacy is one of passion, dedication, and a zest for life that touched the hearts of many. His contributions to the community, both in sports and beyond, will be remembered fondly by those who had the privilege of knowing him.

Michael McFadzen