Terrence (Terry) Christian Maki, 81, of Owatonna, Minnesota passed away on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

He was born May 28, 1942, in Stambaugh, Michigan to Henry and Mae (Sjogren) Maki. Terry grew up in Amasa, Michigan with his Uncle Earl, Aunt Millie (Sjogren) Cornelia, and brother Jim (Dedo) Maki. He graduated valedictorian from Amasa High School in 1960. After graduation he attended Michigan Technology University in Houghton receiving a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1964. He was an immensely proud alumn, as witnessed in his everyday wardrobe.

He met his wife Rosalie Narva in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1966 and married in 1968. They had 2 daughters Jennifer and Melanie and lived in Iron Mountain, Michigan where he started his career at Longyear as a mechanical engineer working on designing drilling equipment. In 1972 he transferred with Longyear to Minneapolis and began his life in Minnesota. On one family trip to The Black Hills Gold Mine while walking by a drill Terry casually mentioned "I have a patent on that." He moved to Owatonna with HydroAx/Blount in 1979 where he continued his mechanical engineering career designing forestry equipment. In 1990 he started with Shank Power Products as a sales representative where his territory covered Nebraska, Iowa, Southern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan making him a true road-warrior putting on 100,000s of miles on state highways listening to AM radio. He retired from Shank in 2002.

A proud Finnish Yooper he grew up in the woods and always enjoyed the beautiful outdoors hunting, fishing, and camping. He was a lifelong member of Ducks Unlimited and loved hunting with his golden retriever(s) Lady. Terry enjoyed fishing and looked forward to annual trips to Lake of the Woods, Minnesota for walleye fishing and especially the shore lunches. His engineering mind always had him building and fixing things. Some of his projects included building a redwood strip fiberglass canoe in his garage, multiple Heath-kits of TVs and stereos, refinishing his basement, and working on his Long-Lost River cabin. He was an avid reader always preferring historical non-fiction books and enjoyed socializing with friends. It was common to find Terry, the local "King of Finland," at one of his favorite hangouts: The Boat House in Waseca or the Amasa Sawblade, re-telling stories and jokes, spouting his classic one-liners, and sharing many life lessons. He was also regularly seen sitting in a lawn chair in the garage monitoring the comings and goings of the neighborhood.

He is survived by his wife Rosalie Maki of Owatonna; daughter, Jen Dolan, grandchildren Christian, Maki, and Lizzy Dolan and son-in-law Kevin Dolan of Jenks, OK.

He was preceded in death by his parents Arthur and Mae Ryerson, aunt and uncle Earl and Millie Cornelia, bother Jim (Dedo) Maki, daughter Melanie, and many beloved pets.

A Celebration of Life will be at the Sawblade in Amasa, Michigan on May 19th, 2024. Gifts in his memory are preferred to Ducks Unlimited https://www.ducks.org/get-involved/memorial-giving or Michigan Tech University https://www.mtu.edu/givenow/.