D.C. is honoring the life and legacy of officer Terry Bennett, who was struck and killed by an accused impaired driver while helping a stranded motorist along I-695 days before Christmas.
The tribute, according to Bennett’s widow Nadia, comes through a community event designed to reflect the way he lived his life, which included giving back, bringing people together and making those around him smile.
The D.C. Council proclaimed July 21, what would have been his 33rd birthday, as Terry Bennett Day. This weekend, family, friends and community members will mark that recognition with an event at Lansburgh Park on Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For Nadia, the event is both a celebration and part of a continuing effort to keep his memory alive for their young son.
“To know that Terry left such a big legacy not for me, for our son, I can’t even put into words how grateful and emotional it makes me feel,” Nadia said.
She said Terry was a “community man” who worked as a D.C. police officer while also coaching football, a sport he loved. The event will include flag football, moon bounces, snow cones and activities for children.
“He was a joyous person to be around,” Nadia said. “That’s how we decided on the idea of what Terry Bennett Day would look like, and it’s literally just giving back to the community a day full of celebration, almost like a family reunion in a sense.”
She said the free event is open to the public and is meant to reflect the fun and playful side of her husband, who she said “truly loved to act like a kid at all times.”
Nadia said the community support has helped her through the grieving process.
She said the memories of the night her husband was killed still come back in painful ways.
“Traumatically, like we didn’t realize that would be the last night that we would all see him again,” she said.
Nadia said the loss can still replay like a nightmare, but that pain has also pushed her to keep Terry’s legacy alive for their son and the community he loved.
“To know that in this healing process, I have people in my corner that are behind me and supporting me, and love Terry the way that I love him. It feels like I have one big hug around me,” she said.
She has also been advocating for roadway safety changes since her husband was killed, including improvements to highway infrastructure and more training around disabled vehicle stops.
“I just don’t want my husband to be a statistic, and then you know this happens again, and then we’re back at square one. I want action this time,” she said.
Nadia said her late husband’s career as an officer grew out of his desire to connect with the community where he was raised.
“He wanted to bridge that gap,” she said. “Him being a coach by day and an officer by night was able to help him feel more welcome in the community and feel more open to talking to the kids.”
When asked what Terry would think of a day dedicated to him, Nadia said she believes he would be surprised by the impact he made.
“I think he would say, ‘All this for me?’ I know he’s smiling. I know he’s smiling, and he’s just in shock that we went this big for him,” she said.
For Nadia, the message of Terry Bennett Day is simply to remember the impact he made and to give back while thinking of him.
“Just because you came from Southeast, you came from a certain walk in life, doesn’t mean that you still can’t make an impact in the community that you were raised in or any community,” she said.
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