Terry J. Rumph, or Mr. Terry as most of us called him, was a soft-spoken man of much wisdom and generosity. Most of us only had the honor of knowing him during his brief time in the AFA, but he touched the lives of our entire church in those short six years.
Before he joined the AFA, Mr. Terry lived a full and eventful life of virtue, adventure, and service to both his nation and his community.
He enlisted in the United States Army in May of 1967, serving three tours in South Vietnam. During these three deployments, he earned many decorations: Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal with two knots, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with one Silver Star and four Bronze Star Campaign devices, RVN Honor Medal 2nd Class, RVN Gallantry Cross Medal with Palm device, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal with 60s device.
After returning home from one of the worst military conflicts in American history, Sergeant Rumph decided that he was not finished serving his people, and joined his local police department. Less details are known of his time in law enforcement, but it is known that he served honorably and had a positive, profound impact on many lives in his community.
Once he concluded his time in law enforcement, Mr. Terry once again decided that he was still not done fighting for his people, and so he became one of the most devoted members of his local VFW(Veterans of Foreign Wars) branch. Warriors from all over the country knew who Sergeant Rumph was, just through his diligent work for the VFW.
In March of 2014, Mr. Terry found his way to the Asatru Folk Assembly, and was so impressed by the sense of frith and community that he joined our church immediately and with high enthusiasm. This enthusiasm never waned even for a minute, no matter what health issues came his way.
In March of 2020, at the AFA’s Ostara in the South, Ravensblood Kindred had the tremendous honor of oathing Mr. Terry into the kindred, as well as gifting him with the first Ravensblood banner that was ever made. He brought great honor and prestige to Ravensblood Kindred, and he will continue to do so even now that he has left Midgard.
Mr. Terry often said that he hoped to live a life in the example of Tyr, and he absolutely accomplished that. There was not a single time in his adult life where he was not serving our Folk, and he never once let anything get in his way of that.
Hail Sergeant Terry J. Rumph, may the road to his proud Ancestors be brief!
Hail Sergeant Terry J. Rumph, may Tyr himself recognize this great warrior’s life lived honorably!
Hail Sergeant Terry J. Rumph, may his name live on forever in our hearts and in our praises!
“Death is not final until you are forgotten.”
We shall never forget you, sir.