Dr. Terry D. Petty, 74, peacefully passed away Friday Oct. 23, 2009, at his home in Folsom.

He was the beloved husband of Mary Case Petty; father of Terry M. Petty (Emily), Shane Petty (Veronika), John Petty (Dawn) and Bruce Petty (Mari); stepfather of Debra Koski and Charles Koski (Tasha); brother of Joy G. Lugar and son of the late Fayne Bratton and W. H. Petty Jr. He was the grandfather of Michelle, Heather, Troy, Audrey, Christopher and Annabelle Petty and Matthew Campbell and the late Courtney Petty; and step grandfather of Katelyn and Weston Koski.

He was a native of Paducah, Texas, and a resident of the New Orleans area for over 30 years. Dr. Petty was a veteran of the oil and gas industry with a career that spanned four decades. He began his career in the petroleum industry as a rough neck for Choya Drilling Co. and Humble Oil Co. from 1953 until 1960 when he entered the University of Oklahoma. In 1965, he became operations supervisor for Esso Exploration. He returned to the University of Oklahoma and earned a Master of Science degree in petroleum engineering in 1970. He earned his doctorate of engineering degree in 1975. In 1971, he joined ODECO as manager of new rig construction and in 1974 the board of directors of ODECO elected him vice-president of design and engineering at ODECO, a position that he served in until 1993 when he joined Murphy Oil as president of their subsidiary El Dorado Engineering. He retired from Murphy in 1995.

Petty was an avid gardener with a passion for, and the expertise in growing roses. His rose garden at his home in Kenner was well known to residents of the area who enjoyed walking by and seeing the beauty of the 200-plus rose bushes that he tended to on a daily basis. He was awarded the Chateau Estates Garden Club Award for neighborhood beautification on numerous occasions.

Relatives, friends and attendees of Trinity Church are invited to attend a memorial service for Dr. Petty at 7 p.m. Monday. Visitation will begin at 6 p.m. at Trinity Church, 19380 N. 10th St. Covington. In lieu of flowers the family requests you consider a memorial gift at Trinity Church. E.J. Fielding Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements. An online guest registry is at www.ejfieldingfh.com.