from the USTA Communications Department
Columbus, OH — John “Jack” Winner, 84, of Urbana, Ohio, died peacefully in his home with family and friends by his side on July 25, 2018.
He was the second of three children born to John and Eunice (Ayres) Winner on June 29, 1934, at the family home in Woodstock, Ohio. His father was handicapped from polio and died when he was 15 years old. He spent a lot of time with his mother, he loved her very much.
He played second base on the baseball team and was salutatorian of his graduating class at Woodstock High School in 1952. He served two years in the U.S. Army; 18 months were overseas in Korea.
On June 9, 1961, he married Jeanie Kitchen; they had two children, Susan and John B. (Brad).
Mr. Winner worked for more than 35 years and retired from Grimes/Honeywell. He worked his way up from a punch press operator to a production planner. He was a hard worker and very reliable, missing only a handful of days in the years he was there.
His passions were harness racing, his small farm and going to the county fairs and hanging out with his special friend Wendy, who he loved very much. He owned, trained and drove many horses over the 60 years he was involved with harness racing. It was not a sport for just winning money for him; he loved the horses and the excitement, he bet very rarely. Mr. Winner retired from training horses just last year and still has three retired race horses in the pasture.
His favorite day was the third Thursday of September each year when the Little Brown Jug Grand Circuit horse races were at the Delaware County Fair. He and many friends and family would attend each year for about 64 years.
He was also a compassionate man who could not see a stray cat go hungry or any living thing suffer.
Mr. Winner was quite a character and loved to “razz” his family and friends. He would tell his stories and grin if he could get a smile or a rise. He loved his friends and family very much, he wasn’t big on emotion but would do anything he could for anyone who needed it.
He is survived by his very special friend, Wendy Sullivan; brother, Larry; daughter, Susan (Rick) Conley; son, Brad (Jackie); grandchildren, Heather (Matt) Smith, Matt Conley, Nick (Katie) Conley, Trevor, Brad II and Cole; great-grandchildren, Sydney Conley and Emerie Conley; nieces, Sheri (Rodney) Sparks, Terri (Gene) Sproull, Krista (Chris) Dague and Karen (Stephen) Rieske; and cousins, Gary Packman, Roger Packman and Peggy (Harvey) Watkins. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Donna Keeton; nephew, John Morrison; and his lifelong friend, Jim Stanley.
A celebration gathering of John’s life will be held from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 1) in Vernon Funeral Home in Urbana. A private memorial service for family will be held at a later time.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Paws Animal Shelter, 1535 U.S. Hwy 36, Urbana, OH 43078 to help feed and neuter the stray cats that he will no longer be able to feed.
Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.vernonfh.com.