Pastor Bye will not be forgotten

To the editor:

This is a tribute to Pastor Terry Bye, who passed away Feb. 24 at Ball Memorial Hospital after fighting brain cancer for more than seven years.

The doctor gave him a few weeks after diagnosing his cancer in 2010.

Many will remember him as the man who carried the cross through town every Easter. He was never ashamed of his Christ, and was a great man of integrity. He lived what he believed in, always with such joy and always a smile on his face.

Terry was a fight, spiritually and figuratively. From what Terry told me, he was always looking for a fight before he got saved and gave his life to the Lord. He was from a good, Christian family, but like many children, he dabbled in the things of the world. But one thing about Terry, when he gave his heart to the Lord, it was all the way. He never looked back. It was a total transformation, and all who knew him, knew he loved the Lord better than anything. And he loved you with the same kind of love.

After his last surgery, and as the tumor progressed, he wasn’t always easy to understand. But one thing he could always say was, ‘Jesus loves you so much, and I do too.” And it was straight from the heart, for he had an experience with the Lord, and from that day on there was such an “agape” love (which is God’s love) coming from him. No man can love like that, but God can love like that, through a man. And he always loved to get with the public so he could tell everyone, stranger or friend, how much they were loved. I think that was his ministry for God, until the day he died.

Many doctors and nurses were touched by Terry Bye. When the prognosis wasn’t good, his cancer doctor said, ‘But again, we are talking about Terry here,” because he was expected to die more times than you can count.

And I want to praise Patty Bye for the devotion she gave to her husband. Never doubting God for his healing, and being there for him constantly, being a devoted wife. I know that is what all spouses should be, but Patty may have paid a higher price for her steadfastness, even risking her job security.

And I want to thank Jim Fennig, the manager of Wal-Mart in Portland. I believe he has done everything he could to help her in this journey of life she was on. Her job is secure, to go back to, for he knows, that is all she has to make a living on.

And I want to thank all you people who greeted him when you saw him and gave him the respect he deserved, understanding what he was going through. And also for all the prayers sent to God for him and his family. He lived longer because of that.

Now is your time, Terry, to rest from your labors, but know this, you will always be missed and loved. And never forgotten.

Thank you,

Brenda Fennig

Union City