Terry Lee Coltra passed away April 9, 2023 from a long battle with cancer. He was born April 19, 1952 in Arcata, CA to Andrew and Gertrude (Turner) Coltra. They moved to Crescent when he was 7 years old.
After graduating from Del Norte High School in 1970 he attended Humboldt State University and graduated with a degree in Psychology. Terry began his professional career at Humboldt County Job Training as an independent monitoring unit chief until 1981 when he became Executive Director for the Hoopa Manpower Program and was eventually appointed Tribal Administrative Officer for the Hoopa Tribe. In 1984 he took a position with the Northern California Indian Development Council Inc. (NCIDC), where he eventually served as the Executive Director. He remained in this position until his retirement in 2018. Terry was most proud of his work of the restoration of the Carson Block building, and it is now the flagship historic office and retail building in Old Town, Eureka.
Terry had a strong commitment to developing cultural support addressing the unique needs of American Indians locally and throughout California. He was appointed by the Governor to Redwood Acre’s Ninth District Fair Board and remained a Board Member for many years. He was also a member of the California Chamber of Commerce and of the Humboldt County Workforce Development Board.
In his free time Terry enjoyed camping, gold panning, gardening and collecting Indian art.
Terry was preceded in death by his parents Andrew and Gertrude Coltra, brothers Danny and Patrick Coltra and nephew Brandon Coltra.
He is survived by his brothers Rick (Becky) Coltra of Minden, NV, Gary Coltra of Crescent City, CA, Uncle Wayne Turner (Janet) of Crescent City, CA, nephews Greg Coltra (Julie), Steve Coltra, niece Alisa (David) Griffith and numerous great nieces, great nephews and cousins.
Please join us to Celebrate Terry and Dan, please bring any pictures and stories you would like to share.