On Saturday, August 21, 2021, Terence Dempsey passed away at the age of 66. He was loved and admired by many in Burlington, Vt., where he had lived for the past 26 years.
Known to many as “Dempsey” or even “Saint Dempsey,” Terry was known as a storyteller and a singer of songs. He was a true artisan, musician, sculptor and historian, and he loved making storyboards and films.
He is survived by his sons Harlan and Virgil; brothers Allen, Tracy and David; and sisters Kathy, Vicky, Laurie and Beth; as well as his close friends and Burlington family, Ishmael Ahmed and Grace Ahmed and their family.
A memorial walk through the streets of Burlington to honor him will be planned for early October. Contact terencedempsey.22@yahoo.com for date and time.
This article appears in Aug 25-31, 2021.
Dempsey took me in when I was a wayward youngster twenty-five years ago. He was generous with his time, although he would talk your ear off and never let you leave a conversation. I learned a lot from him. I’m happy he was able to quit drinking. We spent a lot of time in “Bukowski Alley” on N Winooski Ave sharing forty ouncers of Busch and talking about bad literary habits and writing tropes to avoid. I am fortunate to have known him when I did and wish I was a better friend to him as he was to me.