Mrs. Terri Whyte Hughes Hollis, 60, of Manchester, passed away on January 17, 2026. She was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Woodbury, Tennessee on January 13, 1966. She was preceded in death by her father, Jerry Wayne Hughes and her husband, Michael Hollis, Sr.
She is survived by her mother, Sherry Hughes, sons, Michael "Dusty" Hollis, Jr., Colton (Hope Archbold) Hollis, and Jonathan Hollis, daughters, Danielle (Cody Owens) Stratton and Dakota (Turner) Adcock, brother, Perry Hughes, sister, Cherrie Lynn (Joe) Reed, grandchildren, Destinee Stratton, Andrew Stratton, Cadence Higgins, Jameson Adcock, Grayson Adcock, Essence Hollis, Miah Hollis, Kastiel Hollis, and Bentley Porter, great grandson, Kyler Stratton, niece and nephews, Christi (Tommy) Sihalath, Ethan Reed, and Pearson Hughes, great nephews, Asher and Emmett Sihalath, numerous foster children, and friends.
Terri was born with a mother’s heart. From the beginning she fell right into the role of caring for her younger siblings and being the mom boss. It carried into the next phase of her life as a foster parent and adoptive mother to several of her foster children. While God never blessed her to birth a child of her own, she took on all the responsibilities, challenges, excitement, and happiness being a mother and Nanny brought.
Her parents were both from Woodbury, who moved to Rutherford County after they married and began their family. They ran a dairy farm, which was a full-time job and then some. When her mom was in the milk barn, Terri took on the duties of a mom to Cherrie Lynn and Perry. Cooking quickly became second nature to her, and they knew who was in charge while Sherry was out of the house. She graduated from Oakland High School in 1984 and found work at a few different places. One of those was Whirlpool. This was significant because she crossed paths with her future husband, Michael, who also worked there.
Their personalities meshed well. They both liked to pick at one another and anyone else in their orbit. Quickly falling in love, they married in November of 1988. Early on Terri and Michael decided to become foster parents to share the abundance of love they had in their hearts. Over the years they brought numerous children into their home to help them overcome their personal family struggles. Some only stayed for a brief time and others they adopted. Terri was the kind of mother with a stern tough side and a tender heart. She was no nonsense with a side of playfulness. If you were in doubt about anything, she would tell you like it was and usually got the last word.
Terri and Michael wanted to provide for their family with an entrepreneurial spirit. They ran the Dollar Video in Woodbury for many years. They had living quarters above the video store. That meant the kids had full access to just about any movie they wanted to see. Terri loved watching shows with the kids. Each one had their own favorite, she would watch with them. Terri wasn’t completely satisfied with just running the video store. She wanted to share her love of cooking with others, so they opened Terri’s Country Kitchen. It was right next door to the video store. People loved her country cooking. The family and Michael were especially fond of her chicken and dumplings.
Their business interests didn’t stop there. They also got involved with a local auction house called Wayne’s. They would bring in a variety of items to auction, and it drew a big crowd every week. Terri became interested in the community her family was a part of in other ways. At one point she decided to run for mayor to help influence the political landscape of her local world. As if all of this wasn’t enough to keep her busy, she and Michael made it a point to take the kids on numerous trips. They enjoyed camping at Tybee Island, Jekyll Island, Watts Bar Lake, Center Hill Lake, Kentucky Downs, and Beech Bend. They loved seeing the kids having fun and making memories. When they were traveling around Terri liked to keep things interesting. She enjoyed playing some classic rap and hip-hop songs. They would all sing and laugh together. One of the song titles wound up being the name of her cat, Miss Jackson.
Without a doubt Terri lived a lot in her 60 years. Not a moment was wasted. The love she shared overflowed and touched the lives of her family, friends, and countless other people she came in contact with.
Visitation will be held at Gentry-Smith Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, from 4-8 pm. Funeral services will be Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 1 pm in the Gentry-Smith Funeral Home chapel. Brad Hall will officiate. Interment will be in Milton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital or the Ronald McDonald House. Share condolences and stories at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337. Because every life has a story.
