Dec 5

Written by:
12/5/2016 6:43 AM 

Terry C. Tessein, 81, passed away unexpectedly onSaturday November 26th at home.

He was the beloved husband and best friend of Pauline  Hess Tessein.

Born and raised in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, he was the son of Charles Tessein and Julia Fischer.

Terry is survived by his devoted wife Pauline Tessein,brother William Tessein, loving children Charles Tessein (wife Donna), Cindy Eldredge (husband Donald), Caren Harris (husband Daniel), and David Tessein(wife Nicole); cherished grandchildren Jeffrey (wife Rachel) and Carol Tessein,Jaclyn and Michelle Letendre, Camille and Michael Harris, and Lena Tessein.

He was raised in New Jersey where he began his lifelong appreciation for the outdoors, hunting and fishing. He attended Rutgers University and was a member of Delta Phi Fraternity. He left school and joined the Navy where served as an Aerographer's Mate. This was a springboard for a life-long interest in climate and weather.

He was a dedicated and loving father and husband. He and his young family were stationed in many locations but none so impactful as Virginia Beach, where he developed his true passion for fishing. Another location took him to the Long Beach Island Fishing club with many competitions and awards.

After the service he became a pioneer in computer technology, working as a trailblazing programmer at Honeywell and North American Rockwell. He was also a member of MENSA.

The family relocated to Franklin MA, where he was a member of the Intrepid Striper Club and an active member of the Mass. Beach Buggy Association. He fabricated a camper and the family spent memorable summer weekends camping and fishing on the beach at Provincetown during the golden years of striper fishing. As a club member he competed in casting and fishing tournaments and was a trophy winner in the Schaefer Tournaments. He was proud to be an official weigh station for the Schaefer Tournament.

He eventually settled on Cape Cod, remarried, and expanded his family and continued his career in technology management and sales before eventually retiring. He was widely known locally in the recreational fishing community and had fishing friends up and down the east coast. He took up writing and photography, and was published in The Fisherman, On the Water,Saltwater Sportsman, Saltwater Fly Fishing, Field and Stream, and had a weekly column in the Barnstable Register. He was a member of New England Outdoor Writers Association. A life objective was to write a book; he authored Fly Fishing Boston. He loved the writing and all the people it allowed him to meet and presented him with a host of new, exciting fishing opportunities.

As a conservation enthusiast he initiated the New England Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association. He was a member of many other organizations including Ducks and Trout Unlimited and many area fishing clubs.He was an active member of the Cape Cod Salties and supported many of their education programs such as the Learn to Fish Day, seminars with MA Environmental Police, and offered several presentations to share much of his own knowledge with the club. He held deep feelings for his affiliation with the Cape Hatteras Anglers where he was a charter member when the club was formed in1957, member number fifteen, and loved to take annual migrations to Cape Hatteras for December Surf Fishing.

Visitation will be Friday December 9th from 5 to 8 p.m.and Saturday 10 to 11 a.m. followed by a Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m. at the Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home 154 Route 6A Sandwich, MA. Interment will be Monday Dec. 12, 2016 at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, family and friends are invited to gather at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home to proceed to the cemetery in procession.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cape Cod Salties P.O.Box 1183, South Dennis, MA 02660-1183 in care of the Terry C. Tessein Memorial Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will support students with a passion for conservation and love of the outdoors.

Arrangements under the direction of Nickerson~BourneFuneral Home, Sandwich, MA.