Orphaned at Sea As a Girl, Terry Jo Duperrault Now Uses Unbelievable Survival Story to Inspire
March 17, 2023

Orphaned at sea at just 11 years old, Terry Jo Duperrault’s story is not for the faint of heart. In fact, it took over 50 years before she was ready to share her horrific experience publicly. But in bravely doing so with the book “Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean,” she’s given purpose to all of the pain she’s overcome. And Terry Jo Duperrault now wants her unbelievable survival story to be a message of hope to encourage other hurting souls!
Terry Jo’s parents, Arthur and Jean Duperrault, always dreamed of taking their 3 kids on a family vacation to remember. So, they saved and planned. And finally, they had enough to charter a private cruise aboard a 60-foot ketch, the Bluebelle.
RELATED: Fishermen Find Mystery Woman Floating at Sea and Discover She’d Been Missing for 2 Years
The family set off for a week-long trip spent sailing around the Bahamas. It was supposed to be the perfect getaway. But rather than a dream come true, the journey turned out to be a horrific nightmare.
A Trip To Remember
In 1961, the Bluebelle set sail with the Duperrault family of five. Nestled between her big brother, Brian (14), and little sister, Rene (7), 11-year-old Terry Jo was the middle child. The Captain's new wife, Mary Dene (34) also came along.
Little did any of the passengers know, but the Captain was a very troubled man. He’d fallen into serious financial trouble and was using this voyage as an opportunity to execute a wicked scheme.
The plan was to murder his wife in order to collect the insurance money from a policy he’d opened in her name shortly before the trip. It sounds like something from a movie. But tragically, this is a true story. And the Captain’s vile actions ultimately left Terry Jo orphaned at sea.
One night, towards the end of the trip, Terry Jo decided to turn in early. But the terrifying screams of her older brother cut her slumber short.
"Help, Daddy! Help!” Terry Jo said he yelled. “And it was the type of scream that you know that something horrible is happening.”
Frightened, Terry Jo lay in her bunk, trying to make sense of the screams that had since stopped. After a few minutes, she worked up the courage to go investigate. And what she found changed her life forever.
A Terrible Discovery: Orphaned At Sea
Terry Jo went upstairs to see what had happened. There lay her mother and brother, dead and covered in blood. In shock, she continued searching.
She found the Captain, who was in the middle of opening the sea valves so that the boat would sink. The terrified girl asked what was going on. The Captain shoved Terry Jo violently down the stairs and went back to work.
RELATED: Man Desperately Clings To The Side Of Capsized Boat For 2 Days And Then Rescue Comes
Frightened, alone, and certain the rest of her family was dead, Terry Jo ran back to her bunk. But with water beginning to fill the cabin, she ultimately went back to the deck.
By now, the Captain was preparing to escape in the small life raft, which he’d lowered into the waters below. When he saw Terry Jo, he asked her to hold the line attached to it while he went to go get something.
Most likely he was going to get a weapon in order to kill her, too. Thankfully, we’ll never know for sure because Terry Jo had enough wherewithal to realize she needed to escape. She jumped into the lifeboat and was gone by the time the murderous Captain returned.
The very next day, rescuers saved the Captain. He fed authorities a suspicious story involving a sudden sea squall, a fire, and a broken mast. While the facts didn’t quite seem to add up, there was not enough evidence to prove the seemingly sole survivor wrong. Not yet, at least.
Rescue Following Being Orphaned At Sea
Terry Jo drifted at sea in the tiny raft for four days. She had no food or water. But she had something stronger — faith.
"I was never frightened," she said. "I was an outdoors child, and I loved the water.”
Terry Jo then went on to explain what carried her through the horrible ordeal: “I had strong faith. I believed in God and I prayed for him to help me, and I just went with the flow.”
RELATED: Man Lost At Sea, Treading Water For 28+ Hours, Then He Saw A Cross
On the fourth day, a Greek freighter spotted Terry Jo. They rescued the poor girl who, on top of being orphaned at sea, suffered from severe sunburn, dehydration, and a fever of 105 degrees. But she was alive!
WATCH: Terry Jo Duperrault Now Recalls Becoming Orphaned At Sea
Word of Terry Jo’s rescue soon reached the Captain. The desperate man took his own life upon realizing his web of lies was about to crumble like a house of cards.
The shocking story was huge news in 1961, running in every magazine and newspaper you could imagine. But at 11 years old, no one was allowed to talk to Terry Jo Duperrault. As a result, no one ever heard the story from her perspective.
From Survivor To Overcomer
Terry Jo had survived the horrific ordeal. But it took many years before she actually overcame the traumatic event.
Relatives adopted the 11-year-old girl who had been orphaned at sea. She saw psychiatrists, but they just kept focusing on the murder. The thing is, Terry Jo, who now goes by Tere Duperrault Fassbender, never actually witnessed any killing.
"I did see my mother and brother dead with blood. I never saw my father,” she explained, “I never saw Mrs. Harvey, and I never saw my sister.”
It wasn’t until later in life that Tere’s continued counseling got to the root of the problem — the loss of her family. And as an adult, she finally made her peace with that terrible day. It brought about a healing that has made her an upbeat and positive influence on all of those who meet her.
"This lady right here turned out to be a lady of great substance,” says Richard D. Logan, the author who helped turn Tere’s survival story into the book, “Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean.”
And through the telling of that story, Tere found purpose for the terrible pain endured.
"I thought that I was spared for a reason, and the reason would be to help other people,” she explained. “I would just hope I could help someone after they read the book to give them inspiration.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Man Trapped At Sea Spent More Than 14 Hours Clinging To Buoy And Waiting For Rescue
Tere witnessed evil at its worst. But through it all, she never lost faith. Against all odds, she overcame. And her incredible story is proof that light will always outshine the darkness!
LISTEN: Twin Sisters’ DNA Test Results Uncover a Dark Family Mystery Involving Their Dad’s True Identity
h/t: Today / Everything Inspirational
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/DoxNM
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for When a Friendship Falls Apart - Your Daily Prayer - February 9
If you've walked through losing a friendship, I see you. I know it is painful and, at times question, provoking. But, let Jesus in that space.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for When a Friendship Falls Apart - Your Daily Prayer - February 9
If you've walked through losing a friendship, I see you. I know it is painful and, at times question, provoking. But, let Jesus in that space.
Past Stories
- Teen Wasn't Given Much of a Chance to Live After Car Crash, But Now Celebrating Her 16th Birthday
- Girl Who Died Before the 6th Grade Still Inspires Others With Her Message of 'Love is Everywhere'
- Beloved Young College Student Remembered by Fellow Students After DC Plane Crash
- Stranger Jumps Into Frozen Pond in South Carolina to Save 3-Year-Old Girl
- Man Saves 83-Year-Old Father-in-Law With Parkinson's From the LA Fires in Pacific Palisades
- Woman Felt Like She Was in a Movie When Giving Birth in a Krispy Kreme Parking Lot
- Walmart Employee Coach Justin Helps Mom and Autistic Child During Meltdown
- Woman Who Found an Old Family Photo After LA Fires Makes a Special Connection
- Teenager Who Finds Money at Restaurant, Doesn't Think Twice About Returning it to Owner
- World War Two Veteran Starts Over at 104 After Losing Home in Palisades Fire
- Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards' Daughter Lola Was Baptized After a Very Difficult Time
- Her 91-Year-Old Grandmother Is Besties With Her Husband and the Relationship Is Beyond Cute
- New Jersey High School Basketball Star Keeps Playing Through Cancer Diagnosis
- Dad Whose Daughter Died After Transplant Gives Kidney to Another Little Girl
- Musician is Reunited With Letterman Jacket, 30 Years After Ordering It Back in High School
- Twin Brothers Both Pop the Question Just Days Apart, Without Planning to Do So
- Girl Scout Saves Her Dad's Life Just 11 Days After Learning CPR
- This 100 Year Old Kentucky Centenarian Works At Home Depot, Offering Great Tips For a Long Life
- Woman Married 82 Years Has a Very Special Disney-Themed 100th Birthday Party
- Man Discovers 46 Year Old Christmas Present in the Wall of His Childhood Home
- 4 Year Old Twin Girls Are Heroes After Finding Retired Police Officers Wallet
- Her Cat Was Missing For 7 Years, But She Finally Came Back Home
- Delta Held a Plane So a Daughter Could Have One Last Goodbye With Her Dying Mother
- Even Through Dementia One Special Phrase Kept a Grandmother Connected to Her Husband
- Mom, Dad, and 6-Year-Old Daughter Are Heroes After Rescuing Woman From Overturned Car
- Couple Receive the Biggest Surprise Blessing After Cervical Cancer Diagnosis
- Old English Sheepdog Who Appears to Have Special Powers, Receives an Award
- 49 Years Later Daughter is Reunited With Birth Mother and Other Family After Taking DNA Test
- 22 Family Members Surprise Grandparents With a Fun Family Sleepover
- Scared Doodle Rescued From Thin Frozen New Jersey Lake With Help From Neighbors Drone
- Woman Caught in a Riptide is Saved by Fisherman's Hook
- Couple Finds Lost Ring In a Snowy Wonderland During Engagement Photo Shoot
- Jimmy Carter, 39th President, Passes Away at 100, Leaving Behind a Legacy of Service
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley Talks About Getting Her Voice Back After Losing It Two Years Ago
- 90-Year-Old From Oklahoma Is Rewarded For Going Out of His Way to Help Others
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
- Little Boy From England With Leukemia Delivers Over 400 Christmas Gifts To Kids At the Hospital
- Gold Star Family Receives a Big Surprise That Will Change Their Lives Forever
- 8-Year-Old With Down Syndrome Is a Hero After Saving Sister From House Fire
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
Top Artists
Top Music Videos

Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp's Awe-Inspiring 'No Survivors' Live Performance

Riley Clemmons Riley Clemmons 'Jesus Cries' Official Music Video

Anne Wilson Anne Wilson’s Powerful Live Performance of ‘Strong’

Casting Crowns ‘Good Good Father’ – Stunning Worship From Casting Crowns

Danny Gokey Danny Gokey's Powerful 'Open Up The Gates' Lyric Video
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.