Terry Barden

Terry E. Barden, 83, Hibbing died Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at home in Hibbing.  He was born April 28, 1938 to William and May (Moilanen) Barden in Hibbing.  After High School Terry joined the U.S. Navy and proudly served his country aboard the USS Leyte  for 4 years.  Terry married Sharon Douville on July 3, 1965 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hibbing.  They moved to the cities and that’s where their journey began.  They lived in Brooklyn Park, MN from 1969 to 1999 where they would carry out their careers.  Terry was first employed as a stainless-steel fabricator at Charles Saucier & Son, where he eventually became the plant manager.  He would later take a gamble and leave that position to start out on his own.  Terry along with his partner Gerald Johnson started their tool business out of a garage which later blossomed into GT Tool in Osseo, MN.  They successfully ran the business for many years.  He was a proud member of the Zurah Temple Motorcycle Drill Team for 12 years.  You would find Sharon faithfully attending all parades that Terry and the cycle corps. would perform for in the metro area, especially during the 4th of July parade celebrations abroad.  From this they took to traveling, Terry was “you could say”, a modern-day voyager and adventurer.  He lived for the next challenge or adventure, none too big or too small.  From taking a rubber raft across Lake Superior from Duluth, MN, arriving in New York City with his partner, Speedy Jaranson, to completing the Great Circle in one of the boats he had of which two of those were solo trips.  He and Sharon would take their Harley across the United States many times with their cycle corps friends, or just the two of them, exploring almost every state.  Once they had enough with the Harley, Terry convinced Sharon to start boating.  Over the years, they had four boats that would take them through the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River, and up and down the East Coast, to name a few. They finally landed in Brunswick, GA where they built a house and lived from 2000-2021.  Once the boats were sold, their interest became camping and would travel abroad hooking up to various campsites throughout the country.  They made trips to Alaska twice.  Most recently, you would find Terry wintering in North Carolina with Sharon where he found a passion for Gold mining.  He bought all of the gear and mined gold as if it was the Gold Rush of 1849.  He loved it.   They would eventually leave their friends of North Carolina, the Gold Camp, and Brunswick, GA to return to their roots in Hibbing, MN.  Terry fell ill just one year after returning home. but did get to spend quality time with family here.

He loved being a Shriner, hunting, fishing, but most of all spending most of his life with his beloved wife, Sharon going on countless expeditions together.  He will be truly missed by his family and friends, he was a unique individual and the stories were amazing.

Terry is survived by his wife, Sharon Barden, Hibbing, MN, 2 brothers-in-law, Richard (Susie) Douville and Russell (Mary) Douville, both of Hibbing, nephews, Russell (Tana) Douville, St. Paul, MN, Michael (Casey) Douville, Side Lake, MN, and Jeffrey (Lindsay) Douville, Hibbing, and Chucky Barden, nieces Janie and Kim Barden.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and two brothers, Merrill and Marvin Charles Barden.

Per Terry’s request there will be a gathering of family and friends later this summer.  Interment will be in Maple Hill Cemetery of Hibbing.  Terry’s family would like to send a heartfelt thank you to Fairview Range Hospice and especially Kim Fena for the loving and tender care they gave Terry over the past few months.  Arrangements are with both Peterson Funeral Chapel of Coleraine and the Dougherty Funeral Home of Hibbing.