03/14/2026
Terence John Werdel
October 17, 1942 — February 27, 2026
Terence John Werdel, Terry, passed away peacefully at the age of 83.
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius
Terry wasted no time; he simply was a good man. Those who knew him admired his loyalty, integrity, and sound judgment.
Born on October 17, 1942, Terry was the youngest of three sons born to Thomas Harold and Rosemary (Cutter) Werdel. Alongside his brothers, Thomas Jr. and Charles, he was raised in Bakersfield, California where the foundations of his life took root—a deep love for his community, the outdoors, and an abiding faith in God.
In his teens, he attended Bakersfield High School, where he met Victoria Regina Vogel, Vicky, the love of his life, and became part of an extraordinary group of friends later known as the “Potluck Group.”
Terry went on to earn a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola University Los Angeles in 1964, and his J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 1968.
A year before graduating from law school, he married Vicky, beginning a 58-year marriage in which they raised three children and shared a life devoted to one another.
Terry built a career in transactional law spanning more than forty years, beginning with the firm of Borton, Petrini, and Conron. In 1977, he established his own Bakersfield firm with Sidney Chapin, where he practiced alongside several associates for more than three decades before selling the practice and concluding his career as of counsel with LeBeau Thelen Law Firm.
He was a principled attorney respected by colleagues, clients, and the bench throughout Kern County. He also served his community as a trustee of the Kern County Library Foundation and as a director of the Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation, the Kern County Community Foundation, and the Bakersfield Museum of Art.
Terry had a restless and inquisitive mind. He wrote two family histories, built a backyard train track for his grandchildren, documented life through photography, and was an encyclopedia of California history. He loved gardening, tinkering, woodworking, and time in the Sierra Nevada. Above all, he loved Vicky, and the life they built together.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Charles Cutter Werdel, and his parents, Thomas and Rosemary. He is survived by his wife, Victoria, and their three children: Terence John (Jennifer) Werdel Jr., Timothy (Kathleen) Werdel, and Catherine (Mark) Berger; and six grandchildren: Connor Werdel, Grace Werdel, Cooper Werdel, Anna Berger, Elise Berger, and Lauren Berger.
He is also survived by his brother, Thomas Harold Werdel Jr. (Corinne C. Chandler Werdel), and sister-in-law Domie Garat Werdel (Charles Cutter Werdel).
A rosary will be held Friday, March 27, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Bakersfield at 10:00 a.m. A funeral Mass will follow at 10:30 a.m., with a reception at Stockdale Country Club at 1:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Building Fund in Terry’s memory or to a charity of your choice. In
