Born in Middletown, Ohio, Terry was one of eleven children in the family of George and Rose Rukavina.

She then filled in at many different infield and outfield positions with the Kalamazoo Lassies in 1951 and 1953, hitting 163 with one homer and 23 RBI in 147 games.

As a result, she was a member of the Kalamazoo basketball team that won the state championship[2] and played softball in her Middletown home and in the Butler County, Ohio area.

She also participated in the Ladies Professional Golf Association event at Kings Island along with Jane Blalock during the 1979 Pro-Am tournament.

[3] Terry was later inducted into the Butler County Softball Hall of Fame as part of the 1986 Class.