Sorry to Report- SCCA, IMSA, SVRA Road Racing Loses Another Friend and Competitor To Cancer- Terri Deren, Carbondale PA
Jack Deren's wife Terri, AKA Evelynn D. died February 21 after brief illness. The full Obituary is online below, and if you click on the words 'light a candle to share your thoughts and memories' the family will receive them at the funeral home. 'Follow 'prompts' it is a safe site.
http://parisefuneralhome.com/obituary_view/71630
Jack Deren And Terry Thompson's Love Story Started With A Dangerous Spark!
The Auto World Can Am Racing Team was formed in 1969 and did fairly well. . Until the Sept...'Big Bang!' Chief Mechanic Jack Deren was seriously burned when a 'corroded' natural gas line leaked gas inside the building's cinder blocks. A tiny spark from a light switch Jack turned on exploded the gas and blew all four walls out destroying the building, several cars, and the team's 1969 McLaren MK 6B. It was a disaster. Jack was burned terribly......given a slight chance of surviving.......and Team Auto World shut down.
A Marriage Made In Heaven -The Comeback Kids....
Evelynn D. 'Terri' Thompson was working in sales at Auto World, was interested in auto racing and visited Jack daily and became his Angel of smiles... Terri started nursing him back to health. A friendly and beautiful lady who also modeled various items for the auto world catalogs. Jack wanted to go racing again, Terri and Jack both worked well together and Auto World got back on track racing in May 1970- with a used McLaren, Bruce McLaren's MK8B team car...... Oscar Koveleski drove in SCCA races and Can Am's in 1970, winning the SCCA National Championship and in 1971 Tony Adamowicz placed as high as 3rd in the Can Am series and Oscar finished 2nd in SCCA National Championship behind Jerry Hansen. The 5 person team was doing pretty well....During this season, the team really bonded when Jack and Terry got married...!!!!!!
A Race Team Of 'Pranksters' Including the Girls
When Tony Adamowicz and Brad Niemcek formed the PRDA ...Polish Racing Drivers Of America..they convinced Oscar to act as President ..various events were held at the races, slot car racing, radio control races, creeper races, presenting pole position trophies.....The two gals on our race team...went along with the pranks and did there own........at Road America Can Am .....Terri Deren and Elaine Koveleski emptied the Johnson Wax cans ad filled them with butterscotch pudding for the party....even Stirling Moss.....had to 'try this!'
After Team Auto World shut down in 1971.......Jack and Terri continued racing in SCCA, IMSA, SVRA....winning many events in USA and Canada...
against many factory teams....meeting new people, making new friends.....Yes we will miss Terri....how can we help????
LET US CONTINUE TERRI'S WE CAN DO IT SPIRIT! .....IN RACING AND HOW SHE SHARED HER EVERYDAY LIFE WITH A SMILE AND HELPING HAND TO PEOPLE IN NEED.....Thanks Terri, RIP.........your Team Auto World/PRDA friends.............
Oscar Kovelseki
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One of the most fun people i ever met; her passing comes way too young. My condolences to Jack and the whole PRDA family.
ReplyDeleteMike Andrews
member 1593
That was the best wax pudding I ever ate! I will never forget those days. Terri, thanks for some great memories! God Bless.
ReplyDeleteJack Harwood
a really great lose to world of race, this women was a amazing driver, if you wanna look some races search in youtube maybe this was time ago but really you need to see this, R.I.P Terri.
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