Alice Marie Terry, 99, of Parkersburg, West Virginia passed away peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by
family, on January 19, 2026, at Elison Assisted Living in Marietta, Ohio, only 66 days before her 100 th
birthday.
She was born in Wise County, Virginia, March 26, 1926, the daughter of the late Allen L. and Jessie L.
Paul Nidiffer. Her family moved to West Virginia when she was a young girl where her father worked in
the coal mines, and they lived in a coal camp. During World War II, she and her sister worked in a
gunpowder plant in Elkton, MD, making ammunition for the war effort, where her sister was killed in a
plant explosion. She also worked with a mid-wife in her community during the war. She married Ralph
Terry in 1943, a Navy soldier at the time who fought in the Marshall Islands.
Alice saw much during her nearly 100 years as technology blossomed. After moving to Parkersburg, she
held several positions before she began in 1972 at the Grand Central Mall working for The Diamond,
Stone & Thomas, and Elder-Beerman until its closing in 2018, where she was well-known in the
community. She was highly respected by the staff and customers where everyone knew ‘Ms. Terry’.
She retired at age 92, and she continued living on her own until September, 2025. Always full of energy,
she loved sewing and needlework, and raising her three daughters, who were her world!
She is survived by her daughters, Sandra Walker of Advance, North Carolina, Beverly Kerr (Marvin) of
Davisville, West Virginia, and Cynthia Hamilton (Kenny) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; her
grandchildren, Krista Kerr (Bob Discordia) of Denver, North Carolina, M. Scott Walker of Baltimore,
Maryland, and Nathan Kerr (Stefanie) of Kenova, West Virginia; and her great grandchildren, Aiden and
Erin Discordia; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph K. Terry in 2003, her son in-law, Michael D. Walker in
2012, and her seven brothers and sisters.
Funeral services will be Wednesday January 28th, 2026 at 2:00 pm at the Leavitt Funeral Home in
Parkersburg. The family will receive friends from noon until service time. Entombment will be in the
Sunset Memory Gardens Mausoleum.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.leavittfuneralhome.com
For those wishing to make a contribution in her memory, the family asks that you consider Hospice of
Marietta 27855, State Route 7, Marietta, Ohio, or your favorite charity.
Follow