Nancy Terry is a native of New York State, born in Ogdensberg on the St. Lawrence River. She attended the School of Nursing at the University of Rochester, New York, where her hobbies included snow skiing, ice skating, swimming and antique collecting. She subsequently relocated to Texas and for over forty years has been married to Howard L. Terry, with whom she founded the Terry Foundation in 1986.

Mrs. Terry is active in Foundation events and in the annual interviews in which the new Scholars are selected. Her principal interests now include golf, art, interior design, gardening, politics, her family, her dog, and the Terry Scholars.