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 (Mariah) 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.