Thomas Terrance Dempsey

On Oct. 21, 2017, the lives of Thomas Terrence Dempsey, 27, and Lindsey Rachelle Earl, 29, were taken together in a collision near Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix as they returned to their home in Tucson. The couple was engaged to be married. Terry was born in Tucson in 1990 and spent his childhood there in sunshine. He finished junior high and high school in the White Mountains at Blue Ridge, where he met Lindsey; they would spend the next 11 years — nearly half their lives — together. A skilled outdoorsman and a tenacious athlete both at Blue Ridge and at the University of Redlands in California, Terry was happiest exploring. For 28 years, he would take his own way in life, generally an unmarked one, his eyes bright for every pass, field and canyon. Magnetic, intelligent and playful, Terry is survived by his mother, Heather; his father, Kirk; his sister, Hillary; and his little brother, Reid. Lindsey Earl was born to Donald and Tracy Earl in 1988 in Lakeside, and showed profuse talent and charm from a young age. In 2004, Lindsey was crowned Miss Teen Arizona for the Kids USA Program, and was a three-time champion of the local level of the Colgate Country Showdown before advancing to the national level of that competition in 2007 as one of five finalists in the nation’s largest country music talent search. After returning from Nashville, Lindsey was awarded a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona College of Science in 2015, and was recently offered a promotion with Ritz-Carlton as a sales manager. Lindsey was vibrant, disciplined, confident and deeply devoted to her family. She is survived by her parents; grandparents Sonny and Kathy Earl and Lonnie and Sue Burchett; brothers: Chris, DJ and Tyler. Both Terry and Lindsey are survived also by the other party of the collision, who emerged unscathed from the wreck that changed more lives than two. A joint service was held 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, for the couple at 1520 Church Lane in Lakeside.