James Terry Trent

Dr. James Terry Trent was born April 29, 1947 in Pensacola, Florida, as the only child of Jesse and Virginia Trent. He died February 9, 2024 in Beaufort Memorial Hospital at the age of 76, after recurrent hospitalizations.
“Jim” was a self-described Air Force brat. He developed a love for baseball as a child, which continued throughout his life.
When Jim turned 18, he joined the Air Force like his father, where he served as a medic. He lost his father around this time. Soon after Jim’s discharge, he attended Middle Tennessee State University. During college, Jim cared for his sick mother and met his future wife, Sheri, in a psychology class, three months before being involved in a life changing car accident that broke his back and changed his life forever. Doctors said he would never walk again, but Jim fought back and was able to walk with a cane until the last few years of his life. He went on to earn his Masters degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University and his PhD in Psychology from the University of Mississippi.
Jim and Sheri married December 30th, 1972. Their loving marriage lasted 51 years. After graduate school, the two relocated to Nashville, TN where they lived for over thirty years. Jim worked as a college professor before opening a private practice and consulting business. In 2001, Jim was shot in the head and chest by a former employee of the Tennessee Valley Authority, who was running a drug lab. Jim had denied him further employment. Jim relearned how to speak and remarkably was able to return his life to normalcy.
In 2007, Jim and Sheri moved to Beaufort, SC to be near their son. Jim worked for the Office of Veterans Affairs, assisting veterans of the armed forces suffering from PTSD, anxiety and depression. He retired in 2016.
Jim loved reading, sailing, fishing and baseball. He valued integrity, sincerity and love. He was active in and served his church. Jim had three grandchildren, whom he loved dearly.
Jim is survived by his wife, Dr. Sheri D Trent of McMinnville, TN and his son, James Lee Trent. He loved his family and friends deeply. He was a man of incredible mental strength, intelligence and love. He endured a lifetime of suffering and bodily misfortune with grace and composure. Despite it all, he persevered and built a beautiful, successful life, helping countless patients and students along the way, and inspiring thousands who met him by the way he handled difficulty.
A visitation will take place at 12 pm with a service to follow at 1 pm on Thursday, February 15, at Copeland Funeral Service, located at One Copeland Drive, Beaufort, SC 29902. Jim’s burial will be nearby at the Beaufort National Cemetery at 2 pm with a reception immediately following at 8 Seabrook Point Drive, Seabrook, SC 29940. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Humane Association.
Copeland Funeral Service is assisting the Trent family will arrangements.