Terry Scharton
Terry D. Scharton of Apex, North Carolina, entered eternal rest with the Lord on May 13, 2026.
Terry was born in Beatrice, Nebraska, in 1939. After losing his father to complications from polio at age three, he was raised by his mother, Ruth, a florist whose resilience and work ethic shaped his life. Supported by academic scholarships, Terry earned three degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT.
As a student in Boston, Terry met Millie at a local music dive. Despite Millie’s insistence that she was “with the band,” Terry persisted. In the first year of their 62-year marriage, they swapped around the clock typing shifts for his thesis before driving west for the California sun.
Terry and Millie built a faith-filled life in Santa Monica, California, where they raised five daughters. Family was their center of gravity. Sundays meant Mass, bagels, and bike rides at the beach. Traditions included fishing and ski trips at June Lake, stargazing at Mount Pinos, and family dinners focused on everyday happenings.
Terry was a man of quiet faith, service, and curiosity. In Southern California, he was dedicated to social justice and serving families facing hunger and homelessness. In Apex, he was a lector and active participant in faith-based education.
As a mechanical engineer specializing in random vibration and acoustics, Terry made significant contributions at ANCO Engineers and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His work helped advance force-limited vibration testing and spacecraft qualification methods widely used in aerospace engineering today. After retiring from JPL in 2003, Terry served as an active consultant and advisor for space agencies, UC Berkeley, and North Carolina State University.
For the last decade of his life, Terry devoted himself to Millie’s care as her Alzheimer’s progressed. With his devotion, they were able to live independently in their home until 2025. The Scharton family dinner table, once set for seven, now seats 25.
Terry is survived by his loving wife, Millie; daughters Tanya Kersten (Sean), Tara Girolimon (Jeff), Marina McKenna (John), Lorna Bush, and Carla Larzelere (Dave), and 14 grandchildren (Ryan, Hannah, Tyler, Parker, Gerard, Maddie, Maeve, Luis, Peter, Duncan, Fiona, Marilyn, Annie, and Roz).
A Funeral Mass will be held at Saint Mary Magdalene Church in Apex, NC, on Friday, May 29, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. A Celebration of Life will follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial contributions in Terry’s name to the St. Mary Magdalene Church Uganda Water Project, a mission he actively supported.