Therman's Guestbook

When I first met Therman, I was in a very difficult time in my life. My life lacked direction and I was introduced to to Therman by my mom and he helped me find that direction I lost. Therman was the best man for my first marriage. Therman was the type of person that most of us wish we where. You could call him any time of the day or night and talk to him. He would be the first person to offer prayer on your behalf or to go to country kitchen for a cinnamon roll.

I regret that I didn't keep in better contact with him and for that I will forever be saddened. The only comfert we can have in his passing is that he is no longer in pain and he has gone home to his father who must have missed him immensely. I would like to pass on my deepest condolances to the billman family.

I will never forget what Therman and Julie have done for me and I wish I could have told Therman that while he was here.

Lots of Love,
Undraitis Family

I am sorry to read your father passed away. My father passed away July 29th 2003, he is still greatly missed. Our deepest sympathies
Steven R Billman Sr

Therman was such an inspiration to me. I loved serving in jail ministry with him so I could hear his faith stories! I'll always remember him saying, "that if God will do it for me, He will do it for you" as he would walk around and give a love squeeze on the shoulders of the men. On the other hand he would say, "if you are not going to let God change your life, you might as well wear orange (color of inmates outfits) on your way out, because you'll be coming back....That was Therman, full of God's mercy and love for even the most troubled person, but not afraid to speak the truth. He spent a lot of time helping others and I want to thank Julie and all the family for sharing Therman with all of us.

Therman was a special person to me. He had God's spirit in him very strongly and he loved God with all his heart. He taught me a lot about life and walking with God. I remember the last time we did jail ministry together he took me out to dairy queen and bought me some ice cream. We had a very special talk that I will always remember. He prayed for me that night and a big weight was lifted off my shoulders. Which reminds me of the verse in James 5:16 which says the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. That is very true. His stories of what God had done in his life and others were amazing. I wish I could have known him longer. I am thankful I got to spend time with him on this earth. I will never forget him.

Wow, I dont know what to say other than one great great man has made it home and in the process leaves us all behind. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you all. You family on B6/6 loves you all and hopes you all can heal and live through Therman's love!
Take care.

Though I didn't know Therman prior to meeting him one night at the Wood County jail, (which I believe may have been his last opportunity to participate in jail ministry)I had heard so very much about him. I had literally prayed, "Lord, please give me an opportunity to meet Therman and witness for myself who this man is that you have used greatly to impact the lives of so many." God blessed me by giving me that priviledge.
I know he was not feeling well the night that I met him but as he began to talk about Jesus, he spoke with total conviction and compassion and we were all aware that this was one of Jesus' own. Therman Billman is no stranger to those of us who have had any connection with jail ministry. His name is always uttered with the greatest respect and admiration, not by just us but by the prisoners as well.
His physical being is now absent, but I can't help but believe that his presence will always be felt because the Spirit of our Living God was able to use Therman as that ever willing vessel to touch the hearts of many.
I just want Therman's loved ones to know how very grateful I am to have had that one opportunity to meet him. Therman has left behind such a legacy! We will greatly miss him in jail ministry.
My prayers are with all of you. God bless you.
Sincerely,
Connie Olsen

I worked with Therman since his 3rd re-start at the Port mill. We sure grew to know his love of donuts and cake. He would help Cindy and I cut the cake for retirement parties at work so he could be first in line to get a piece. Of course, since he cut it, his would be the biggest and best piece!

We always handed out pocket calendars to the guys at the beginning of a new year so they could keep track of their hours or whatever. One year Cindy and I wrote down all the birthdays of all the guys in Port Maintenance so Therman could find the donuts without relying on the "old nose" to find them for him. (Although, I must say, the "old nose" worked very well also.) Therman loved that calendar and checked it every day!

His was the last "retirement" book I put together. I thought that was fitting.

We'll miss you, Therman, and your huge smile. God be with all of his family.

I'm sorry I'll miss the wake and funeral as I will be out of town but I'll be thinking of all of you and praying for you.

Wow! There is so much i would like to say. My dad was truly my best friend. He is who I went to for support and guidance. I will never forget the day he had no words of wisdom for me. Things were difficult while Tammy was sick and really hard right before she died. It reached a point that even my wise dad couldn't help. But, he may not have known it at the time, he did help. He said "Son, let me pray with you." And that's what I needed. To lean on God, not my dad. Without him knowledge, God was using him to prepare me for life without him.
What I most cherish, is the times he would come home from the road boilermaking. I may have been about 10 or so. He would take me for walks on old dirt roads behind our house in the pines. He would talk with me about God, Jesus, and Heaven. I learned how to love people through those talks. He taught me a good work ethic by telling me his stories about work. I learned you can be a tough guy and still have a soft heart. I learned through him, that miracles can happen to the "average" guy. He never once talked down at me. He always ended a conversation with "I love you". I am who I am today because of my dad and his unending love for me.
Well, these are just a few of my most cherished memories. I could go on for days. I have such a great respect for the way he lived his life. He worked for two things only - to lead as many people to God as he could and to join Jesus in Heaven. Thank you Julie for supporting him in this. You are a role model for all wives to follow.
Oh ya, and once again I need to say "That's my dad!". With pride dad......I LOVE YOU!

My condolences to you and your family on your loss. I'll be thinking of you, especially during the next several days. Eric is camping up north, but I am sure he would want Travis to know he is thinking of him also.
I appreciate the time you and Therman gave me in doing the stories in the past. Hopefully, others will be inspired to donate organs and marrow. Thanks and God Bless.

What can I say about Therman and Julie? They were the dearest friends that Dick and I had. Therman was alway there when Dick was sick in the hospital. Therman gave him the will to life and trust in Jesus. We will miss him so much. Julie we love you and believe you to be most courageous. I am so glad that you got to be alone with Therman just before he took that step into eternity and into the arms of Jesus. You are in our thoughts and prayers and will be there for you. We love you and your family.
Love Jackie and Dick

We were neighbors to Therman and Julie for about 9 years. They are some of the nicest people we have ever known. You truly do feel God's Love through them.

One simple story that often comes to mind...

Soon after we had moved in to the neighborhood, we had a driveway full of fresh snow. I heard a snowblower running just outside, and looked out to see Therman was blowing out our 100 foot drive for us. When my husband thanked Therman for his act of kindness, Therman said that he had some trouble getting the blower running, and asked God that, if he could just help him get that blower running, he would blow out all the driveways on the road if he had to. And, there he was, true to the promise he'd made.

Therman really didn't know how much we really did appreciate his generosity. Keith was working many hours and wasn't home for very long, and we had three young children at home, one of which was an infant who wasn't sleeping much at the time. And we didn't own a snowblower. Therman gave us some more time together as a family and saved some back-breaking shoveling for us.

Thank you to Therman and Julie for being examples to us all.

May God give you all Strength, Peace, and Comfort.

With Love,
Keith, Lisa, Tyler, Kiersten & Alexander Aron

Therman was my "spiritual father"! God in His awesome timing and plan gave us a house across the road. Even tho i was backslidden I had prayed for that home. Their was a friendship built for the next 2 years. Then when I rededicated my life back to the Lord, Therman and Julie had invited me to Evergreen and the rest is history. I know if it wasn't for Therman, I do not think I would be living for the Lord. He was an inspiration, mentor and a true friend!!!! He was ALWAYS there for me when I needed that encouragement/prayer. And his stories???? Well, I wanted those kind of stories too! He taught me so much about Jesus and the Christian walk which I will forever be grateful! And then jail ministry, well he got me hooked oh so many years ago, first praying for the guys he ministered to, then baking cookies at Chistmas, then playing guitar for church services up at jail, and then which led to women's ministries up at the jail. I could go on and on about the impact Therman has had on my life. I will truly miss him, his big ole smile,and Jesus's love he showed!!!

Thanks Dawn! That's right, it wasn't Goliath, it was "Hoth". LOL You told it to a tee.

This is the story sis!
"Once upon a time I had a pet lion named Hoth. Now Hoth was a good lion and Hoth would never hurt anyone. One day Father said, "Son, you can't keep Hoth. Hoth will get big and want to eat you." "Oh no father, Hoth is a good lion, Hoth would never eat anyone." The next day when I got home from school my little sister was gone. I said, "Father! What happened to baby sister?" He said, "Son, Hoth ate your baby sister." "Oh no father, Hoth wouldn't do that, Hoth is such a good lion." The next day when I got home from school baby brother was gone. I said, "Father! What happened to baby brother?" He said, "Son, Hoth ate your baby brother." "Oh no father, Hoth wouldn't do that. Hoth is a good lion." The next day I got home from school and mother and father were gone! I said, "Hoth! What happened to mother and father?" Hoth just looked at me with hungry eyes and licked his chops. I was scared all night. Then next day I got home from school there was father, there was mother, there was baby brother, and there was baby sister!!! I said, "Father! What happened?" He said, "Son, Hoth burped."

I do love that story, and as I wrote it I could hear Dad telling it, with his voice and facial expressions. Boy I'm going to miss him so much!!

I didn't know Therman very long, but I am truly blessed beyond all reason knowing him for the short time I have known him!! I love you Therman!!! I'll miss you!

What can I say? Therman was filled with the love of Christ. He was unselfish and truly cared about souls. He was an all around good guy and a pleasure to minister with.

I don't have any stories, but your dad was the kindest man I ever met. Jesus' love just shined through him. He truly walked the talk.

I loved that story and the one about his pet froggy. Lol. I miss those stories.

Hi everyone,
It's my hope that through this guestbook you'll share some of your memories of my dad. The one thing I regret the most is not getting a tape recorder to capture all of his family gossip, triumphs and scandals alike.

I remember he would sit us on his lap when we were kids and tell us a story about a lion named Goliath. He would get so into it, making the sounds of all the characters. My twin sister and I would giggle and think that couldn't possibly be true! Could it?!? Now that I'm an adult, I know it's just silly nonsense but it still brings a smile to my face. I wish I could remember that story. Maybe somebody can help me out here. :)

So please do share the stories and anything else that comes to mind. We are listening and appreciate every word.

Thanks!