Terry Lee Burandt

Terry Burandt, 61, died Feb. 14, 2022 at Bronson Hospital Trauma Center in Kalamazoo as a result of injuries suffered when he was hit by a car on Jan. 31 on North Main Street in Berrien Springs.

Terry was born Aug. 19, 1960 in Traverse City, Mich. His early childhood was very difficult. He and his siblings were removed from their home and placed in foster care when Terry was about seven years old. When he was eight years old, Terry was placed in a very nurturing foster home on a farm with Mr. and Mrs. Apps near Cadillac, Mich. In 1969 when he was nine years old, Terry was adopted by Alvin and Evelyn Burandt of St. Joseph, and soon after, they moved to Fair Plain.

From 1968 through 1980, Terry attended special education programs in several schools, mainly in Benton Harbor. A favorite activity in high school was working at the BHHS gardens on Napier Avenue. He graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1980 and soon after moved to an adult foster care home in Berrien Springs and began working at Gateway. It was in Berrien Springs that Terry found his forever home.

From the time Terry came to Berrien Springs, he was a presence in the community. He rode around the community on his bike and attended every high school sports event that he could. Terry had developed his love of sports from his mother, Evelyn, who was a basketball coach and officiated basketball, volleyball, and softball. He soon became Berrien Springs High School's "Number One Cheerleader." His favorite sport was probably softball where he developed and perfected his famous "Swing that bat, hit that ball, GREEEN" cheer, along with several variations for other sports.

As he grew older, Terry quit riding his bike (thankfully) and began to walk around town. He had several regular routes where he stopped for a bite to eat. Local businesses and patrons were generous in offering him food and he was happy to accept. AJ's became his favorite watering hole (especially for Mountain Dew), and Kristen, the bartender at AJ's, became his #1 Best Friend (various people have held that title through the years). Horse shows became his favorite form of entertainment and "horse people" became some of his best friends. When you saw him walking with his cowboy hat on, you knew where he was headed. He also attended church regularly and got a lot of support from his respective church families, first for 36 years at Trinity Lutheran, and for the past four years at the Village SDA church.

Terry continued to walk, eat, and visit even as he slowed down to a crawl and used a cane to cope with his bone-on-bone pain in his knee. He simply felt it was his duty to move around his hometown and make friends. He will be deeply missed by all of those whose lives he touched.

Services will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, Berrien Springs, with visitation 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, and 10-11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 18. The Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday. Messages and memories may be shared at www.allredfuneralhome.com.

Memorials may be made to the Berrien Springs Area Endowment, a hometown organization that supports many of Terry's favorite activities. The address for the BSAE is P.O. Box 414, Berrien Springs, MI 49103.