Columbus, OH — Myra Gayle Terwilliger, 81, of Gallipolis, Ohio, died surrounded by her family on July 27, 2024.
She was the daughter of Harold and Thyra Hufford of Hamilton, Ohio.
Mrs. Terwilliger started her professional career as a school teacher in downtown Cincinnati. Once she met Al, her husband of over 50 years, she became his right-hand man at Protecto Horse Equipment, the business they co-owned together. They spent a lifetime creating equipment for Standardbred harness racing to improve the safety for horses and drivers.
In retirement, she moved to Gallipolis in 2022 and embraced the small town community living after 50 years of living in the suburbs of Detroit. She was a regular at the local farmers markets, library events, First Fridays, walks by the waterfront, loved the truck pulls and demolition derbies at the County Fair, and eating and socializing at the Gallia County Senior Center.
She never met a stranger and was loved by everyone. In Gallipolis she was everyone’s adopted mother and was called “Mom” or “Momma” more often than Myra.
She is survived by her husband, Al; daughters, Taryn (Carol Owens) and Melissa (Joel Bollinger); brother, Marty (Shirley) Hufford; and grandson, Tyler Owens-Terwilliger.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to New Vocations for their Standardbred retraining program at https://www.newvocations.org/donate_detail/9.