Teresa "Terry" (Burkett) Buffington

Terry was welcomed into the Burkett family by her parents, Ted and Bobbie (Hipp) Burkett, and older brother, Mike, on December 7, 1955, in Toledo, Ohio. Because of Ted's career in the U.S. Air Force, Terry would live in many places over her early years: Roswell, New Mexico; Izmir, Turkey; Biloxi, Mississippi; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Montgomery, Alabama; and Oxon Hill, Maryland where she graduated from Friendly High School. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Ohio University in 1977, and relocated to Boise, Idaho to work for the City until 1982. Terry viewed moving frequently as a positive by thinking of the good things that were in store for her at the next place. This may be related to her love of travel both in the U.S. and internationally.

Mike Indicates that Terry's integrity developed early on and ended up getting him in hot water many times with his parents because she provided such honest information. Strong integrity was a great asset for Terry as she earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1985, and practiced with Holland & Hart first in Colorado Springs, Colorado, then in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Terry represented clients throughout the States of Wyoming and Colorado in all areas of commercial transactions, which included real estate, corporate, finance, and acquisitions and dispositions.

In Colorado, the El Paso County Bar Association recognized Terry as an Outstanding Young Lawyer in 1989. While practicing in Wyoming, she was recognized by Chambers USA from 2003 to 2022 in corporate mergers and acquisitions and real estate. Chambers USA is a guide produced by Chambers and Partners, which identifies the best lawyers and law firms in the U.S. Essentially, it's the legal industry's version of the Michelin Guide to the best restaurants. From 2007 to 2020, The Best Lawyers in America recognized Terry for multiple areas of commercial transaction law, as well as Lawyer of the Year for several years. The Best Lawyers in America is a publication whose core mission is to highlight the top legal talent in America utilizing a peer-review process – and loved by her peers she was. Terry was noted as highly regarded in the IFLR1000, a guide to the world's leading financial law firms, in 2019 and 2021 for mergers and acquisitions, real estate finance and real estate acquisitions. Most notably, Terry was highly regarded at her firm and a mentor and friend to colleagues and clients alike. This was evident when the firm appointed Terry as Holland & Hart Cheyenne's Administrative Partner, and she served several years in that role.

In late summer of 1989 on a blind date, Terry met John Buffington whom she would marry on September 22, 1990 in Cascade, Colorado. Although it took Terry and John a little longer to find each other, both the Burkett and Buffington families were very happy for them when they married. Their son, Sam, completed the family when he was born in 1995 in Denver, Colorado. One last move would bring Terry and her family to their current residence in Fort Collins on the northeast side of town.

Because Sam played tennis in high school and college, Terry developed a strong interest in the sport and enjoyed following tennis at both the amateur and professional levels. She also had an interest in antiques and along with her mother, bought and sold antiques in Colorado Springs. In addition, Terry had a very soft spot for Sweet Tarts, chocolate shakes and pie.

John and Terry anticipated the many things they would do after Terry retired. Unfortunately, Parkinson's disease, like a thief, stole those dreams and over the past seven years progressively robbed Terry of her physical ability, even though she put up a heck of a fight. Through all of this, Terry remained her intelligent and articulate self and maintained her kindness and wonderful sense of humor. Terry will be sorely missed by her family, friends and colleagues.

In addition to her husband, John Buffington and her son, Sam Buffington, family members include her brother Mike, his wife Erin, and their children Kyle, Kelsey, and Kaitlyn and their families; and her Hipp family members.

The mass to celebrate Terry's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 4, 2022, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 300 West Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins, Colorado. If you should choose to make a contribution to the Parkinson's Foundation in lieu of flowers, please go to:
https://secure3.convio.net/prkorg/site/Donation2?10243.donation=form1&df_id=10243&mfc_pref=T