Terry Lynn Messenger

Terry had the kind of spirit that made people feel welcome. She was friendly, happy, and outgoing, with an open heart for everyone she met. Whether she was helping someone through her work or simply talking to a stranger on the street, she had a natural warmth and an instinct to connect.

Her story began in Morgantown, West Virginia, where she was born on March 30, 1959, to Carl Max Allen Messenger and Lanita Jane (Nicki) Messenger. Terry was proud to be the daughter of a Preston County homebuilder and shared a very close and loving bond with her father. Even her name carried a bit of family history: her mother, an avid football fan, named her after Detroit Lions player Terry Barr.

She attended Second Ward Elementary School, Morgantown Junior High School, and Cheat Lake Junior High School, and graduated from Morgantown High School in 1977. As the Mohigans mascot on the cheerleading squad, she found an early outlet for the energy and enthusiasm that would remain part of her character.

Terry’s creative interests took her first to art studies at West Virginia University and then to South Florida. She worked in hotel management with Hilton Hotels on Singer Island and Sheraton Hotels in connection with the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre in Jupiter. She also did modeling and made her home at PGA National. These were among the many varied chapters of a life lived with curiosity and independence.

When her father became ill, Terry returned to Morgantown to be closer to him. She pursued a degree in horticulture at WVU, worked in the university greenhouse designing with flowers and plants, and studied landscape architecture. She carried that combination of creativity and love of the natural world into her career in residential and commercial landscaping in Morgantown and the Washington, D.C., area.

Nature was never simply a profession for Terry; it was a source of happiness. She loved camping in West Virginia’s beautiful state parks and fly fishing for trout in its streams. She was a self-taught painter, and her artistic eye found inspiration in the landscapes and living things around her.

Animals held a particularly tender place in her heart. The many pets she loved over the years were family to her, and she gave them affection and care in abundance. That same compassion reached beyond her home to friends, coworkers, clients, and people she happened to meet along the way.

Among those enduring bonds was her friendship with Michelle Petitte-Krucoff, which began in seventh grade. Michelle’s son, Jacob, held a special place in Terry’s heart. She loved him as a nephew, and to him she was affectionately “Aunt Cee Cee.”

Terry is lovingly remembered by her brother, Jay Messenger, and sister-in-law, Carla Messenger, of Keswick, Virginia, and by her longtime live-in life partner, Jeffrey Gianola, of Morgantown, whose companionship and devoted caregiving meant so much during her final illness. She is also survived by her beloved dog, Trixie. Her parents, Carl Max Allen Messenger and Lanita Jane (Nicki) Messenger, preceded her in death.

Following a courageous battle with liver disease, Terry passed away on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. She received compassionate care at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she passed away surrounded by the dedication of its Medical Intensive Care Unit and Liver Transplant Department. Her family is deeply grateful to the physicians, nurses, and staff for their extraordinary compassion and care.

Family and friends may gather for a viewing on Saturday, October 31, 2026 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Hastings Funeral Home, 153 Spruce St. in Morgantown.

A reception open to everyone will follow from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. to celebrate Terry’s life at Anvil + AX, located at the Hotel Morgan, 127 High Street in Morgantown, one block from Hastings Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Terry’s name may be mailed to Animal Friends of North Central West Virginia, Attn: Kathy Orosz, Treasurer, PO Box 1090, Dellslow, WV 26531. Checks may be made payable to Animal Friends. Donations may also be made online at www.animalfriendswv.org.

Send condolences to the family online at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com