From Charles:
We first connected through our love of riding bicycles, spending late nights together in abandoned parking lots and garages. You were a true pioneer in flatland, creating your own moves and living off junk food. Your laughter and spirit brought so much joy to our team of riders, and Juanita and Magen saw you as family. Even though you battled your own demons, you were always there for your friends. You broke boundaries and joined us on countless road trips. I remember putting you on the team, getting the jerseys with your name on them, only to find they had misspelled it as “Terrace” instead of Terris. You didn’t want to cause a fuss and waited a month to bring it up to me. We will all deeply miss you, and the unique way you touched each of our lives. — Charles Long
From Jeff:
Woke up to the sad news this morning that my brother Terris Renfro passed away. The BMX community has just lost a flatland legend, and I personally have lost a dear friend. When I think of Terris Renfro I think of countless hours of riding, late nights and parking lots and parking garages, cracking jokes, trying new things regardless of the peril, and those damn Dolly Madison Zingers we called “Snoopy Bastards”. We called him “T” and when he was around it was going to be a great time. He invented so many tricks, some of which I couldn’t even comprehend the dynamics of. We did countless freestyle shows. He helped expand the Freestyle Flyboys team, and help it reach a new longevity. He put on freestyle contests and helped foster freestyle riding into the 90s. He even came out of retirement to help me a some local riders do freestyle performances for Oklahoma Metro Libraries across the state in the 2000’s. I know Terris loved his friends and family and was very proud of his son. He will be missed, so much. I will be collecting as many stories about Terris as I can and publishing them on the Freestyle Flyboys website. For now all I can say is thank you Terris for being a great friend to me and the memories we share will always be with smiles. Rest in peace Fly Boy. – Jeff Hester
Terris Ray Renfro of Oklahoma City, OK, passed away on Sunday, August 4th, 2024, at the age of 52. He was born on August 19, 1971, in Oklahoma City to Ted ‘T.R.’ Renfro and Wanda (Smith) Renfro. He was known by most as T, and later, Big T.
Terris was a very dedicated BMX Freestyle Flatland Rider. In the mid 80’s, he joined a BMX freestyle bicycle trick team called the Freestyle Fly Boys, currently Oklahoma’s longest performing BMX freestyle bicycle trick team. He invented many tricks and did countless freestyle shows. Terris was a State Champion in 1986 and 1987 and took third place in the national ABA event in Carson, California. He helped expand the team and continued holding contests and putting on shows into the early 90’s, including the El Reno Burger Day Festival and The Redbud Classic.
Terris attended U.S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City, where he met Lynn Thompson (now Lynn Thompson-Page). The two started dating shortly after graduating in 1991. Two years later they had a son, Terris Ray Thompson (Lil’ T). Though they never married, Terris and Lynn spent 15 years doing life together and raising their son before parting ways in 2006.
In the early 90’s, Terris and a few of his best friends formed a band called Aggressive Insertion. He was the lead singer. The band wrote many songs and performed at a local club on the south side called Alcatraz. They were very close to being signed with Megaforce Records when life happened, and the band broke up.
Terris loved his son and was a dedicated father. When Lil’ T was in t-ball and the coach quit, Terris stepped up and took on the job of coaching just to keep the team going for the sake of his son and all the other kids on the team. That coach thing just stuck, and he continued to coach or help coach for several more years from t-ball to machine pitch. He even helped build baseball fields at a church on the south side for kids who did not have any place else to play.
In the early 2000’s, he came out of retirement from freestyling to help some local riders do freestyle performances for the Oklahoma Metro Libraries across the state.
Terris was a great friend. He never met a stranger. He was the kind of friend you could call on no matter the time of day or how long it had been since you’ve seen each other. Most people would say he was the coolest person they’d ever known. He will be missed by many.
Terris was preceded in death by his sister Jan Roby; nephew Travis Renfro, Jr.; and parents T.R. Renfro and Wanda Boyd. He is survived by his son Terris Ray Thompson and wife Rachel; brothers Jerry Smith, Harold “Butch” McClary, and Travis Renfro, Sr.; sister Sherry Geach; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Memorial gifts and cards can be sent to Yanda and Son Funeral Home. Viewing will be Friday, August 16, 2024, from 1:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Yanda and Son Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life will be held at Mustang Life.Church on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Moore Cemetery.
Don’t let it scare you… you are about to have the time of your life!
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