Terence Paul McGiver, of Warnerville, NY, died peacefully on January 3rd, 2019 at Albany Medical Center, surrounded by his loving family. He was 67. Terry was born on February 17th, 1951, in the Bronx, NY, to Ruth and John McGiver.
He is survived by his wife, Lori McGiver; his two children, Niles Voyer-McGiver (of Portland, Oregon) and Gwenyth Voyer-McGiver (of Lake Placid, NY); and their mother, Lauren Voyer, three step-children, Shawn Elliott, wife Jessica, and daughter Macie (of Union Bridge, MD); Sage Mangiacapre (of Amsterdam, NY); and Jocelyn Mangiacapre (of Carlisle, NY). He is also survived by eight siblings: Maria, Basil, Clare, Oliver, Clemens, Ian, Boris, and Cornelia, and is predeceased by his sister Bridget. Terry attended Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Elementary School in Bronx, NY, St. Monica’s Catholic School in Santa Monica, California and Middleburgh Central School in Middleburgh, New York.
After high school, he studied in Greece as a Rotary Exchange student. He received a BA in Speech Communications and Theater from Richmond College, an LMT from the Swedish Institute, an MA in Humanities from SUNY Albany and pursued a DA in Humanistic Studies. In 1986, while also practicing as a massage therapist and teaching English at Bishop Scully High School, Terry began teaching at SUNY Cobleskill.
Terry remained a tenured professor at Cobleskill until his death and served as Humanities Department Chair from 2000-2005. Throughout his teaching career, he taught a variety of courses, including Public Speaking, Short Story, Nature Writing and Cinema and Society. He was a passionate, witty teacher who was revered by his students.
In addition to his teaching career, he served as President of both the Schoharie County Arts Council and the Everyman Theater Group, and Secretary of the West Fulton Fire Department. He was also in two off-Broadway theater productions and made five television commercials. At SUNY Cobleskill, he directed, wrote and performed The Life and Times of Jack London, and also served as a puppet maker and performer in the Bread and Puppet Theater.
Terry enjoyed sailing, acting, meditating, reading classic literature, eating in the bathtub, and playing upright bass and trombone. A celebration of Terry’s life will be held at noon on Sunday, January 6, 2019 at Panther Creek Arts Hall, 1468 Sawyer Hollow Road, West Fulton, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley, Inc., PO Box 40, Howes Cave, NY 12092.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Mereness-Putnam Funeral Home, 171 Elm St., Cobleskill.
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