Terry Albert Cureton

Terry Albert Cureton, age 84, of Plymouth, Minnesota passed away peacefully on May 3, 2026, surrounded by his family. Born on June 27, 1941, in Zanesville, Ohio to Henry and Opal Marie (Hale) Cureton, he was the eldest of three children.

He served as staff sergeant in the United States Air Force from 1959 to 1969 where he excelled at computer coding, and was posted in the Philippines and Washington, D.C. During this time, he met the love of his life Jeanette Carolyn Stiles. In the span of five days they met, fell in love and he proposed. They were married on June 26, 1965, in Long Island, New York.

During his career at Control Data Corp., he worked as a software engineer on security systems for the U.S. government all over the world. The company brought him and his young family to live in Minnesota in 1972 where they eventually settled in Plymouth. He retired in 2011 from Rosemount Inc. and took great pride in his work there. Together with a colleague, he successfully filed a technical patent on behalf of the firm.

But he was most proud of the family he and Jeanette raised: their four children Julianna, Elisabeth, Scott and Andrew. Seeing the family grow to four generations gave him enormous joy. His sense of curiosity, intellect and humor continues on through them.

In his free time, he loved sailing the family catamaran, cross-country skiing, rock collecting, and bow & arrow making. He was captivated by space and loved science fiction. Native American and Japanese cultures also held his fascination. He and Jeanette enjoyed many trips together covering the United States, Europe and Asia. He loved a good story and if he started a conversation with “You want to know something interesting…” you knew you were in for a long ride.

Terry was preceded in death by his parents Henry and Opal Marie (Hale) Cureton; his in-laws Lynn and Gladys (Moore) Stiles, Sr. He is survived by his wife Jeanette Stiles Cureton; daughters Julianna (Peter) Durand, and Elisabeth (Mark) Degallier, sons Scott (Jami) Cureton and Andrew Cureton; grandchildren Emily Degallier, Daniel (Emily) Degallier, Clara (Luke) Medinger; Gabriel (Violet) Cureton, Giselle Durand, Archer Cureton, Ellis Durand, and Stuart Durand; great-granddaughters Philomena Langr and Amelia Medinger; brother Thomas Cureton and sister Christine (Gary) Latham; brother-in-law Lynn (Vivian) Stiles, Jr.; and several nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16 at Gearty-Delmore Funeral Chapels in Plymouth, (15800 37th Avenue North) Minnesota. Visitation will be one hour prior and a light luncheon immediately after.