The memorial service for Terry Lee Strickland, age 68, of Alva, will be at 1:00 P.M. Monday, December 28, 2009, at First United Methodist Church in Alva, with Rev. Terry Martindale officiating.  Burial will be in the Short Springs Cemetery , with arrangements by Anderson-Burris Funeral Home, Enid.

     He was born to Leo and Lura (Horner) Strickland on December 14, 1941, in Alva, and died Tuesday, December 22, 2009, in Enid.

      Terry grew up in Alva and began his career in aviation as a child along side his father at Strickland Aviation.  He earned his commercial license at age 17, his flight instructor’s license at 19, and at 23 he became the youngest FAA flight examiner in the Southwest Region.  Highlights of his outstanding career include the following:  flight crew for Braniff Airlines, Captain of Merlin Metholiner for United Supermarkets, Captain of Citation and Saberliner for Love’s Country Stores, Captain of Challenger for Lamanco, instructor for American Airlines, operated Alva Airlines, a scheduled air carrier from Alva to Fairview to Oklahoma City, operated and owned Ardmore and Duncan airports, operated airport in Brownwood, TX, provided air crew and managerial services through Strickland Aviation in Alva.  Terry returned to Alva as a semi-retired pilot and continued to enjoy air shows, aerobatics, flying, smoke-flying and generally playing with airplanes.  Terry and his wife Mary enjoyed traveling, sight-seeing, visiting family, going to air shows and finding new adventures together.   Terry has many of his historical artifacts on display at the Alva airport. They were active members of the First United Methodist Church of Alva, and you could often see them riding in parades around town in his 1951 Studebaker.

     He is survived by his wife Mary McFadden Shroyer Strickland; his children, Toni Day of Frisco, TX, and Tad Strickland of Galena, OH; stepchildren Allison Newfield of Broken Arrow, Katie and Matt Raffaele of Frisco, TX, Marc and Jamie Shryoer of Bartlesville, and Pamela and Brian Buchanan of Bartlesville; 11 grandchildren, Stacy and  Justin Wylie, Terry Day, Trip and Jillian Newfield, Alaina and Macie Raffaele, Reese and Corbyn Shroyer, and Erin and Vivian Buchanan. 

     He was preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Lura Strickland, and sister Betty Lou Rawson.

     Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church of Alva Youth Department.