Terry Edward Shaff passed away suddenly on November 15th at the age of 67 in Kirkland, Washington.
Terry was born January 21st, 1947 in Filer, Idaho to parents Edward and Lillian Shaff. He grew up active in Thespians and 4H, and showed a grand champion steer as part of 4H. He graduated Valedictorian in 1965 from Filer High School. Terry was awarded a full naval scholarship by Senator Frank Church to the University of Washington.
He studied business graduating in 1969, marrying Peggy and being commissioned into the Navy…all in the same year. He served as a second lieutenant assigned to the USS Guide minesweeper for a tour in Vietnam. After completing this deployment, he attended Vietnamese language school followed by teaching NROTC at Texas A&M University where he also earned an MBA. It was during this time that he was awarded NROTC Instructor of the Year.
His time in Texas also saw the birth of his two children, Mike and Katy.
Upon completion of service for the Navy in 1975, he excelled in the business world beginning with Castle &Cooke. It was at this time that he was introduced to the seafood industry while working with the Bumble Bee division. He has always been in the ‘food’ business of one type or another. This experience included growing bananas in Ecuador, processing shrimp in Surinam, snack food with Frito-Lay, and a variety of products with Mars, Inc. Terry began his UniSea career in September of 1991 as Vice President, living in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. He instantly found Dutch to be one of his favorite places. He was promoted to President/CEO in 1995, moving to the Seattle area. The years with UniSea were his proudest and most rewarding/challenging. He was the longest serving chairman of Pacific Seafood Processors Association (PSPA). He also passionately served as Vice President of SeaShare, a nonprofit organization that delivers seafood bycatch to food banks.
Terry lived life to the fullest, he was a connoisseur of fine cars and wines. The only ‘meat’ Terry ate was fish.
He was a caring spouse, father, grandfather and leader and will be missed by all that knew him. Terry/Dad is survived by his spouse Ishmael, children Mike and Katy, 4 grandchildren, mother Lillian, siblings Linda and Stan, and all of his co-workers and friends. Any donations in his name should be directed to SeaShare.