~ IN MEMORY ~
NWA Capt. Terry Arden Juliar
July 4, 1938 ~ November 13, 2024
Sharing news from the RNPA/Retired Northwest
Pilots group…..
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I regret having to inform you that our colleague
Terry Juliar died on
November 13, 2024. Terry was first hired by
Northwest Airlines in 1959 to
wash airplanes. In time he earned his
certification as a A&P mechanic. In
1962 he joined the pilot ranks and flew thereafter
for 35 years.
Celebration of Terry's life will be held at Lake
Minnetonka Shores, 4515
Shoreline Drive, Spring Park, MN, on Friday,
November 22 at 1330 (1:30 pm).
Our
condolences to Terry's family.
PCN memorial site
https://obituaries.startribune.com/obituary/terry-juliar-1092294620
Juliar, Terry Arden age 86, of Minnetrista, MN.
Born 7/4/1938 and died on 11/13/2024. Terry was the youngest child of Ralph and
Rosalia Juliar of St. Clair, MN, where he lived and worked the life of a
southern Minnesota 'farm kid.' Despite winning a few 4H ribbons for his Black
Angus cattle, he determined by high school that farm life was not for him.
Seeds were sewn in the attic of that farmhouse - where he spent hours building
model airplanes and dreamed of a life in the clouds. He met the love of his life,
Nadine Buckhaus at age 15 at a Youth Fellowship event at church, and within a
few weeks of their high school graduation they were married in Mankato, MN and
headed west to California in an unreliable hot rod with a few suitcases, a box
of tools, and big dreams.
Terry returned to Minnesota a couple years later
with Nadine by his side and his Aircraft & Powerplant; Mechanics
certificate from Northrup Aviation Institute. He soon began a career in the
'golden era' of aviation. He followed an improbable path -- hired by Northwest
Airlines in 1959 first to wash airplanes and then as a mechanic. He became a
pilot, realizing his ultimate dream, in 1962. He flew for Northwest Airlines
for another 35 years, retiring as a DC-10 captain.
Along the way he established a 'home base' on the
shores of Lake Minnetonka where he turned his three children lose to grow and
play. His inescapable side-kick during this time was a black lab named Sparky
who received an uncommon amount of care and doting. Most of his life was large
- full of friends and family, fireworks displays, a resolute faith, community
and church involvement, and the best kind of mischief. His final few years were
small, in the ways that age and ill-health often force smallness, but he met
those challenges with humor, wit, curiosity, and a refusal to let his physical
limitations tint his view of life.
He is preceded in death by his father, Ralph
Juliar, his mother, Rosalia Juliar, brother LaMarr Juliar, and sister, Elaine
Heitke. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Nadine Juliar, his children,
Heidi, Troy, and Blair Juliar, seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
A celebration of Terry's life will be held at Lake Minnetonka Shores, 4515
Shoreline Drive, Spring Park, MN 55384, on Friday November 22 at 1:30 p.m.
Friends and Colleagues,
A pilot obituary has been posted for Terry Juliar.
You can view Terry's obituary via this link: < https://rnpa.org/memoriam/obits >
What an amazing path to becoming an airline pilot!
Not the most direct routing! In the obit I mention Terry walking from
the LAX layover hotel to the Aviation Trade School he attended on the east
side of LAX airport. I once made this trek with him. It was absolutely
delightful! Terry was in the class ahead of me at NWA. Actually he was hired
about a week before the class ahead of me commenced. At the time Terry was
a NWA Maintenance crew chief on the flight line at MSP for NWA. He was
never a Flight Engineer, therefore came from a different career routing.
Enough said: read the obit……please see below.
Captain
Terry Arden Juliar, age 86, of Minnetrista, MN was born
July 4, 1938, at St. Clair, MN. Terry was the youngest child of Ralph and
Rosalia Juliar of St. Clair where he lived and worked the life of a southern
Minnesota 'farm kid.' Despite winning a few 4H ribbons for his Black Angus
cattle, he determined by high school that farm life was not for him. Seeds were
sewn in the attic of that farmhouse where he spent hours building model
airplanes and dreaming of life in the clouds.
At the young age of 15, Terry met the love of his
life, Nadine Buckhaus at a Youth Fellowship event at church, and within a few
weeks of their high school graduation they were married in Mankato, MN. Shortly
thereafter they headed west to Los Angeles, California, riding in an unreliable
hotrod loaded with a few suitcases, a box of tools, and big dreams.
Terry attended the Northrop Aviation Institute, now
Northrop University, at Inglewood, California. A couple of productive years
later, Terry and Nadine returned to Minnesota with a freshly acquired FAA
Aircraft & Powerplant Mechanics license in hand. Terry had acquired many
certifiable aviation skills and was ready for a career in the golden era of
aviation. What followed was an improbable path.
An interesting note: years later Terry would stretch
his legs after long days in the cockpit by walking with his fellow pilots from
the Los Angeles Airport hotel to the nearby campus where he studied aviation
technology. Terry could give a great tour.
Terry was hired by Northwest Airlines in 1959 as an
equipment service employee and initially assigned to wash airplanes, a common
starting work assignment for future aircraft mechanics. After paying his dues
working the shops and ramp, Terry was upgraded to Line Mechanic. He proved
himself skillful working the Terminal flight line as a mechanic and eventually
upgraded to Crew Chief.
If his life was not busy enough with Crew
Chief airline work and home responsibilities, Terry also pursued flight
training acquiring his FAA pilot licenses. On September 04, 1965, Terry
achieved his ultimate dream, his name was entered on the Northwest Airlines
pilot seniority list as pilot #679.
During the time he was acquiring his pilot licenses,
Terry and a friend purchased an Aeronca 11 AC Chief. This airplane was a single
engine conventional gear airplane often described as “a basic gentle flyer with
good manners.” Terry subsequently rebuilt and flew the Aeronca Chief until
selling it in 1971 to provide a down payment for his house on Lake Minnetonka.
Terry attended the NWA new hire initial pilot ground
school class of September 13, 1965. His initial crew assignment was as a Boeing
707 Second Officer based at Minneapolis (MSP). Two years later he upgraded to
Boeing 727 copilot and then followed the classic NWA MSP career progression:
First officer on the 727, followed by the 707, initial captain on the 727
followed by the wide body DC-10. Terry finished his 33-year pilot career as a
captain on the DC-10.
Along the way, Terry and Nadine established their
'home base' on the shores of Lake Minnetonka where he turned his three children
loose to grow and play. His inescapable sidekick during this time was a black
lab named Sparky who received an uncommon amount of care and doting.
Most of Terry’s life was large in scope being full of
friends and family, fireworks displays, a resolute faith, community and church
involvement, and the best kind of mischief. His final few years were small, in
the ways that age and ill-health often force smallness, but he met those
challenges with humor, wit, curiosity, and a refusal to let his physical
limitations tint his view of life.
Terry is preceded in death by his father, Ralph
Juliar; his mother, Rosalia Juliar; brother, LaMarr Juliar; and sister, Elaine
Heitke. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Nadine Juliar; his children,
Heidi, Troy, and Blair Juliar; seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
(Juliar family and Bill Day)
