Obituary for Terrence Craig Cortez
December 12, 1947 – May 15, 2023
Terrence Craig Cortez passed away on May 15 in Racine at the age of 75. Terry suffered a stroke seven years prior and was also diagnosed with dementia, which ultimately claimed his life.
Born Dec. 12, 1947, to Dorothy (nee: Lorenz) and Gustavo Cortez, Terry lived his entire life in Racine, growing up and later raising a family of his own.
Terry worked for many years at St. Luke’s Hospital where he was a controller. After the merging of St. Luke’s and St. Mary’s hospitals to All Saints, Terry moved on to support various healthcare clinics and facilities throughout Southeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois until his retirement in late 2014.
Terry’s true passions were the sports he played and spending time with his family. Terry was involved in many team sports and had a special knack for getting others involved too. He was called “the gatherer” by one of his brothers. Terry was a runner and was inducted into the Lighthouse Run Hall of Fame, as he and two other Racine natives had run every single Lighthouse Run since inception.
Terry was also the organizer of broomball events, which were part of Racine’s winter carnival held years ago. Most notable may be his organization of his DeKoven basketball league and his route coordination of The Beast from Southeast, a cycling group that raised awareness and money for the Veterans Memorial in Neilsville, Wis.
Terry loved sports and was actively engaged in them until his final year. Terry played football, baseball, basketball, broomball, running, biking, hiking, walking, ice skating, hockey, and even dragon boat paddling in the year preceding his death. Terry was game to try almost anything at least once. Most notable was probably his running and cycling careers, where many others joined him in the miles laid and memories made.
He is survived by his wife, Suzanne (Kresal); son, Tony (Stacy); daughter, Michelle (Jerry); grandchildren, Chris, Alayna, Cody, Josh, Caden, Maya, Adi; and seven great-grandchildren; siblings, Mike (Gloria), Linda, Allan, Ron (Elvia), Bruce, Duncan (Rachel), and long time friends, Tom Olsen and the late Dan Olsen.
Services
A celebration of Terrence Craig Cortez’s life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to the family are suggested.
Obituary and photo courtesy of Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home.
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