Terry Vaughn Caldwell

On Thursday, January 29, 2026, Terry Vaughn Caldwell (78 years old), completed his journey on earth surrounded by family and friends in his home in Ramona, California.
He was born April 24, 1947, in Tooele, Utah, at the time it was a growing town known for its Army Depot, agriculture & mining, and the Ute theater. His father, Robert Denzil Caldwell was a cattle rancher, and his mother, Nora Mae Oakey was a schoolteacher. The family moved to the Bitterroot - Corvalis Montana with their cattle as a young boy, where he graduated from Corvalis High School in 1965 with a letter in Drama.
He joined the US Airforce (1965) during the Vietnam war, as a junior in high school, and was sent from his home in Montana, to serve at George Air Force Base in Victorville, California for 4 years.
He trucked hay for various farmers while attending University of California Davis among other jobs. In 1970, while working in a mine, he was blown up – one month before his first child, Toni Ann was born. This led to a long recovery and eventually a poor outcome from a prolonged surgery this last summer.

After graduating from University of California Davis in 1975, he began a 36-year career as a forensic chemist working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). His strengths were in steroids.
Terry’s testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was enduring, and he knew the scriptures and the Gospel well. He served the Lord in many ways including many, many years as a Finance Clerk. He taught his children at home with weekly family meetings and how to study the scriptures. He also instilled in his children to serve others, an appreciation for good music, good books, an honest hard day’s work, and that an education was important, but you probably will not get it at school. Terry was a man of strong opinions, a man of many words, and he spoke with passion about things he cared about.
He found joy and pain in politics, family history, listening to music, playing the guitar and singing, good books and poetry, guns, surfing, and studying the scriptures. He is even published. He wrote a book called “Chasing the Dragon”.
He married Cheri Ann Lenhert in 1970. They had 5 children. He married his beloved wife, Jacqueline in 2004 and they built a life in Ramona.

Terry leaves behind his loving and devoted wife of 21 years, Jacqueline Briscoe, his children from his first wife Cheri Lenhert, Toni Ann Cantrell (Pierson), Christian Vaughn Caldwell (Wileen), Aron May Hafen (Kraig), daughter-in-law Danielle Sones Caldwell (Mark), stepdaughter Wendy Roth (Robert), thirteen grandchildren, fourteen great- grandchildren, and his sister Linda (Thomas) Caldwell-Mitchell.
Preceeded in death by his sons, Garth Caldwell, and Mark Caldwell, step-son-in-law Robert, sister Carol Caldwell, his brother Tony Caldwell, and sister Anne Campbell Terry Caldwell wanted to be remembered for loving the Lord, doing his duty at church as good as he could, and wanting to keep his family on the right side of things.
Funeral services will be held on February 14th at 10:30 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints located at 527 9 th St. Ramona, California.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Terry Vaughn Caldwell, please visit our floral store.