Lt. Col. Thompson "Thom" Allen Terrell III

Lt. Col. Thompson "Thom" Allen Terrell III, age 71, of Blue Ridge, passed away Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

He was a member of Alpharetta Presbyterian Church. Lt. Col. Terrell was the only officer to have dual command of the Desert and Mountaineering phases of Ranger School and 5th RTB based at Camp F D Merrell in Dahlonega, GA. He served three tours in Vietnam as a Green Beret earning three Bronze Stars, one Silver Star and an Air Medal. He was a Jumpmaster with the 82nd Airborne and he served with Delta Force, 5th Special Forces Group, 12th Special Forces Group, 2nd Ranger Battalion, 172nd Brigade. He also served as Commander of the 32nd Battalion of the 7th Infantry Division and was a member of the 23rd Infantry Division and the 75th Rangers 5th Battalion. He was a soldier's soldier.

Survivors include his loving wife of 50 years, Virginia Terrell of Macon; daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Matt Nyberg of Lincoln, NE; their daughters, Catherine and Sarah; son and daughter-in-law, Chip and Dee Dee Terrell of Dawsonville and their daughters, Morgan and Chelsea.

Funeral services will be held Friday, September 9, at 2:00 p.m. graveside at Harmony Baptist Cemetery in Blue Ridge, Old Highway 76 and Aska Road. The family will receive friends on Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association of GA, 41 Perimeter Center East, Suite 550 Atlanta, GA 30346, (404) 728-1181.

Ingram Funeral Home & Crematory, Cumming, Georgia is in charge of arrangements.

Condolences may be made at www.ingramfuneralhome.com.