John Carl Teeter
John Carl Teeter died at his home in Goldendale, on Feb. 11, 2010, at the age of 76.
He was born to Therle and Kathrine (Woodcheck) Teeter in Selfridge, N.D., on June 5, 1933. The Teeter family moved from North Dakota to Oregon City when John was three years old. John was the second oldest of 22 children. At the age of 17, John entered the Air Force, serving during the Korean War as a jet mechanic. Upon his honorable discharge, John moved to Portland, where he worked for 12 years at Western Electric, which was the construction division of the Bell Company. He also owned a couple of businesses in Portland.
In 1960, John traveled to Vietnam and worked as a telephone contractor. He married in 1958, and from that union two sons, Wayne and Keith, were born. After 17 years of marriage, the couple parted ways. On Nov. 22, 1975, John married Erleen “Maggie” Hanna in Redmond, Ore. The couple traveled the United States for John’s job as a central office equipment installer for telephone companies, making Sparta, Ore., their home base until he retired in 1998. John and Maggie moved to Goldendale five years ago.
John loved hunting, traveling, and meeting new people. He was a skilled builder and played the guitar, piano, and accordion—there wasn’t much he couldn’t do. John enjoyed time with his family, especially his grandchildren, whom he loved to spoil every chance he got.
Teeter is survived by his wife Maggie of Goldendale; sons Wayne Teeter of Boring, Ore., and Keith Teeter of Portland; stepchildren Rick Hanna of LaPine, Ore., Tammy McHam of Moore, Okla., Robert Hanna of Spokane, and John Hanna of Goldendale; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; eight brothers; and four sisters.
Graveside services were held Feb. 17, at Desert Lawn Memorial Park in Kennewick, under the direction of Columbia Hills Memorial Chapel.
