Terry Gill

Terry Gill was the kind of man who remembered things — the score of a game from thirty years ago, a joke he had been waiting to tell you, and what he paid to renovate the basement in 1993. Born on Merriman Road in Akron, Ohio, he was the son of Loretta Gill (née King), who passed away in 1955, and James Gill. After losing his mother, his grandmother Jane became the steady center of the household, guiding the family with chores and rosaries offered in equal measure.

Childhood on Merriman Road was filled with baseball and football in the yard, flashlight tag after dark, and long summer evenings that ended with the family kneeling together while Grandma Jane led the rosary. His father took the children on country drives, to fireworks at Stan Hywet, polo matches in Chagrin Falls, and swimming at the lake. Winters brought skiing, and his father’s years volunteering with the Boston Mills ski patrol left a lasting mark on Terry.

He began working as a paperboy delivering the Akron Beacon Journal and later scooped ice cream at Mary Coyle’s. Terry graduated from St. Vincent High School in 1972 and remained close to his classmates throughout his life, organizing ski trips to Lake Tahoe and faithfully attending reunions for decades. In May 1977, while still completing his Business degree at the University of Akron, he joined Massey Ferguson. Two years later, when the plant closed, he accepted a transfer to Des Moines, Iowa. There he met Debra, and together they built a family and shared many good years.

Terry was deeply proud of his children and supported their adventures with steady encouragement, humor, and frequent phone calls. He passed on the values of hard work, loyalty, and faith he learned from his grandmother and father through the quiet example of his own life. Later, he found healing in reconnecting with his mother’s King family. He loved sports, trivia, and sharing stories with friends both old and new. Quietly generous, he gave his time and resources to the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, children’s choirs, soccer programs, his church, and several charities without seeking recognition.

Terry Gill is survived by his children, Justin (Kathleen), Mark, Patrick (Palak), and Heather (Samuel), and his grandchildren Lydia and Simon, Josephine and Lochlan. He carries with him his grandson Roman, Patrick and Palak’s son, who died in the summer of 2025, and he lived to know that Roman has a younger brother on the way, due this May. He is also survived by his ex-wife, Debra Gill, his siblings Jim, Mike (Kathleen), and Mary, his dear friend Kate, and the extended Gill and King families along with many friends across the country.