Rev. Terry D. McInnis

Rev. Terry D. McInnis, affectionately known to so many simply as “the Preacher,” went home to be with the Lord on September 12, 2026. He was 78 years old.

Born May 28, 1948, in Sanford, North Carolina, to H.A. and Mattie McInnis, Terry was the youngest of five children and grew up in Lee County. His roots were humble and hardworking. He spent his early years farming tobacco and soybeans and later worked for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. But God had another calling for his life—one that would take him from central North Carolina to the small fishing communities of Down East and into the lives of countless people along the way.

Terry earned his bachelor’s degree from Campbell University and later a master’s degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. A lifelong student of God’s Word, he continued to study the Bible and Greek daily throughout his life. For Terry, however, faith was never simply something to be studied or preached from a pulpit. He loved Jesus deeply, and more than anything, he wanted others to know Him too.

His first church, Cumnock Baptist Church, was founded in March 1980. God would later call Terry and his family east to Atlantic Missionary Baptist Church in Atlantic, NC. There, in a small commercial fishing village, something special happened: Terry fell in love with the community and its people, and they fell in love with him. His ministry would also lead him to McCotter Boulevard Baptist Church in Havelock, where he developed a special bond with the United States Marines he served, and later to Woodville Baptist Church in Bettie. Along the way, Terry served as a chaplain for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, served on numerous committees with the Atlantic Baptist Association, and mentored younger pastors as they answered their own calls to ministry.

Eventually, God led the Preacher back Down East one more time, to Sea Level Missionary Baptist Church. It would become his final congregation and a church family he dearly loved. The people of Sea Level held a special place in his heart. He loved being their pastor, but perhaps even more, he simply loved being one of them. Their faithfulness, friendship, prayers, and love for their Preacher meant more to him and his family than words can adequately express. It seems fitting that the ministry God carried across North Carolina would ultimately bring him back to the Down East people and communities that had captured his heart so many years before. His ministry extended well beyond Sunday mornings. At PruittHealth in Beaufort, Terry ministered to residents and staff with a guitar, a harmonica, a bag of lollipops, and a willingness to share the love of Jesus. He understood that ministry could happen almost anywhere. Those who knew Terry also knew there was much more to the Preacher than preaching.

He was a jokester, a lover of the outdoors, a talented woodworker who enjoyed spending time in his workshop, and a man who appreciated good rock ’n’ roll. He loved to cook and became particularly proud of the Down East stewed flounder he learned to master during his years in Atlantic. Music was woven into his life. Terry played guitar, piano, and harmonica, but the harmonica became something of his calling card. He carried one nearly everywhere he went and was famous for his “quick-draw” harmonica rendition of “Happy Birthday” for just about anyone willing—or perhaps simply close enough—to listen. It was one of the many little ways he brought laughter and joy wherever he went.

His greatest earthly love story, however, began long before any of that. Terry and Ronda Mason McInnis had been together since he was 14 years old. He called her “Ronda Ann.” They were married for 58 years, building a life, raising a family, following God's calling, and growing older together. Ronda Ann was frequently the unsuspecting target of one of Terry’s jokes, but beneath all that teasing was a man who loved her fiercely and faithfully. Their story spanned most of their lives—a love that grew from childhood into a lifetime of marriage, family, ministry, laughter, heartache, and faith.

And then there were his grandchildren. For all the titles Terry carried—Reverend, pastor, chaplain, mentor and Preacher—few brought him more joy than being Granddaddy. He loved his grandchildren immensely and rarely missed an opportunity to brag about them. He was especially proud of his grandson Hunter Dean and his recent decision to serve his country in the United States Coast Guard. And anyone who spent much time with Terry had probably heard his prediction that his granddaughter Emma Grace was going to be the next golf pro or master chef. One of Terry’s greatest privileges as both a pastor and a Granddaddy was personally baptizing each of his grandchildren after their professions of faith. His greatest heartbreak came with the tragic loss of his beloved grandson, Jonathan Kole McInnis. Yet even in that tremendous grief, Terry found immeasurable comfort in something he knew mattered for eternity: in 2017, Kole had made his profession of faith, and his Granddaddy had been the one blessed to baptize him. Today, his family finds comfort in the same promise that sustained Terry—that Granddaddy and Kole now share their eternal home in Heaven. Even Terry’s quiet early-morning walks carried a reminder of Kole, as he enjoyed walking with Kole’s little dog, Tubby.

Terry is survived by his wife of 58 years, Ronda Mason McInnis; his daughter, Candace Moore and her husband, Brian; his son, Jon Kyley McInnis; his grandson, Seaman Apprentice Hunter Dean Moore United States Coast Guard; his granddaughter, Emma Grace Moore; and his much-loved four-legged companions, Bullet the cat, Tubby the dog, and his granddog, Jax.

He was preceded in death by his parents, H.A. and Mattie McInnis; his sister, Judy Collier; his brother, Cornelius Edward McInnis; and his beloved grandson, Jonathan Kole McInnis.

Across more than four decades of ministry, Terry McInnis preached countless sermons, served churches and communities across North Carolina, counseled families, mentored pastors, ministered to the sick and elderly, laughed with Marines, walked alongside law enforcement officers, played music, told jokes, handed out lollipops and pulled a harmonica from his pocket more times than anyone could count.

But the message behind it all remained remarkably simple: he loved Jesus, and he wanted you to know Him too.

The family will receive friends Friday, September 18, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Woodville Baptist Church in Bettie, North Carolina. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Woodville Baptist Church, officiated by Rev. David Phelps and Rev. Ken Saleeby.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Down East Boys Scholarship Fund, c/o Carteret County Public School Foundation, 107 Safrit Drive, Beaufort, NC 28516. Donations may be made electronically here. 

Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noebrooks.net

Arrangements by Noe-Brooks Funeral Home, Morehead City, NC.