LYNNWOOD — More than 20 years after his death, Randy Terlicker continues to help save lives.
Scholarships honor the memory of the fallen firefighter.
Terlicker was one of four firefighters killed while battling the Pang warehouse arson in January 1995. He was 35, nearly a five-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department.
Terlicker also served as the Lynnwood pool supervisor from 1988 to 1990. He continued to teach water-safety classes there after becoming a firefighter.
A fundraising event for the Randy Terlicker Memorial Aquatic &Life Safety Scholarship fund is planned for 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Lynnwood Recreation Center, 18900 44th Ave W. Speakers will include Lynnwood Fire Chief Scott Cockrum and Randy Terlicker’s mother, Colleen Terlicker.
Randy Terlicker also is remembered with a bronze plaque and a blue spruce tree at the recreation center, and endowments in his name at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien and Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School in Seattle.
Randy Terlicker was one of six kids, a shy boy who grew into a strong and caring man, his mother said. He was raised in the Seattle area and moved to south Snohomish County after high school, eventually buying a house outside of Bothell.
Colleen Terlicker remembers her son’s enthusiasm for his work. Hundreds of people reached out to her after his death to share their memories of him. He was known as “a gentle giant” who encouraged others, she said.
“I was amazed at all the good he had done for people, just being a friend or helping in some way,” she said.
She was watching TV on Jan. 5, 1995, when the news of the warehouse fire interrupted regular programming. The Terlicker family called all the hospitals in the area, trying to find Randy.
“When our doorbell rang at 11 o’clock, I knew what was coming,” Colleen Terlicker said. “I just felt it.”
The man convicted in the arson was the son of the warehouse owners. He is in prison.
Colleen Terlicker is glad that her son’s memory continues to be a part of the life-saving classes in Lynnwood, she said. The city hopes to raise $20,000 for this year’s scholarships for young people.
“It’s just a wonderful situation that he continues to help people through these funds and hopefully it will go on for perpetuity,” she said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
More about the fund
For more information about the Randy Terlicker scholarship fund in Lynnwood, call 425-670-5732.
Scholarship applicants should be 15 to 20 years old and live within the Edmonds School District.
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