Terry A. Gwinner, age 83, of Shelby, died peacefully Tuesday night, June 23, 2026 at his home. His death follows a brief illness.
Terry was born June 17, 1943 in Lodi, OH, the son of the late William G. and Phyllis E. (Moon) Gwinner. At the young age of four, the family moved to Shelby, where he lived the rest of his life in the community which he loved. He graduated in 1961 from Shelby High School, always remaining a faithful Whippet football fan, and was a veteran of the United States Navy. His 43-year career was spent serving the “Tuby” in Shelby, from where he retired in 2006 under the AcelorMittal ownership.
God blessed Terry with two green thumbs, which he put to good use, always having beautiful and bountiful flower and vegetable gardens. He loved to walk the fields hunting arrowheads and also enjoyed woodworking as he was incredibly handy.
Terry is survived by his wife of nearly 32 years, Gwendolyn A. “Gwen” (Humphreys) Gwinner, whom he married on September 2, 1994; children: Doug (Deb) Gwinner of Norwalk, Kevin (Amy) Gwinner of Willard, Alane Wallace of Westerville, Jane (Jamie) Ward of Galena, Andrew (Meriah) Gwinner of Sandusky, Lisa (Mike) Back of FL, Aaron (Lisa) Francis of Ontario, and Kristin Perkins (Dalton Cook) of Euclid; grandchildren: Jessica, M’Lynn, Marissa, Andrew, Jacob, Nathan, Nick, Kai, Beckham, McKallah, Devin, Ethan, Liberty, and Xavier; great grandchildren: Landyn and Crew; brother: Fr. David E. Gwinner of Westerville; sister: Denise Welch of Crestline; brother-in-law: Dwight Hawk; and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. In addition to his parents, Terry was preceded in death by a son: Jonathan Francis; granddaughter: Viola Francis; sister: Cheryl Hawk; and brother-in-law: Charles Welch.
Terry’s funeral will be held on Monday, June 29, 2026 at 1 pm at the Penwell Funeral Home, 168 West Main Street, Shelby, with his brother, Rev. Fr. David E. Gwinner, officiating. Family and friends are welcome to gather at the funeral home prior to the service from 11am-1 pm. Burial will be in Little London Cemetery (corner of Plymouth Springmill and West Smiley, Shelby). For those wishing, memorial contributions may be made to The Shelby Foundation (TheShelbyFoundation.org/donate/).
Condolences may be left on Terry’s obituary on the funeral home’s website (PenwellFuneralHome.com) or their Facebook page.
Love and prayers for peace for all family members at this difficult time.
Dave and Denise and all the family so sorry to hear about Terry’s passing.
Terry was a very good neighbor that I was able to trade helping hands between each other. Also someone I was very lucky to be able to call a friend. RIP my friend
Kevin and Amy, Tony and I are say I ng our prayers for your family. We all know how tough it can be no matter how many losses you experience…there is NOTHING like a child or a parent though; so many years of memories.
I’m not always great at saying the right thing so I’d like to leave a poem “Epitaph” for you that meant a lot to me when I lost my sister. 💟
When I die
Give what’s left of me away
To children
And old men that wait to die.
And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you.
And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.
I want to leave you something,
Something better
Than words
Or sounds.
Look for me
In the people I’ve known
Or loved.
And if you cannot give me away,
At least let me live on in your eyes
And not your mind.
You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting bodies touch bodies,
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.
Love doesn’t die,
People do.
So, when all that’s left of me
Is love,
Give me away.
~With Our Deepest Sympathy
I am so sorry for your loss.
Oh Kevin and Amy, I am so very sorry for your loss. No matter how much we try to prepare, we are never really ready to lose our parents. Sending love and hugs to you both.
Kevin, Dave, Denise and the entire family, I am sorry to hear of Terry’s passing. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
We are so sorry to hear of Terrys passing. Your entire family is in our thoughts and prayers.
sorry to read about Terry’s passing. I worked with him and we was both members of abundant life tabernacle