Obituary for Gail Winter

Gail Virginia Winter (nee Anklam) went home to be with God on March 27, 2024. She passed away peacefully at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.  She was 81 years old.

 

Gail was preceded in death by her husband, Grant Brockway Winter, who passed away more than 35 years earlier in Medina, Ohio.  A sudden widow, Gail prayerfully raised their three children—Kirk, Brad and Cori Winter—with the help of family, friends and the strong community of believers at Weymouth Community Church.  From 1986 to 2011, Gail worked in the Medina County Adult Probation Department, during which time her children graduated from college, married and started families of their own.  She rejoiced at the birth of each of her six grandchildren who now range in age from twelve to sixteen.  They knew her as Nana, a gentle matriarch whose declining health in later years could not diminish her extraordinary legacy of love.

 

Born on April 8, 1942 in Cleveland, Ohio to Elmer Anklam and Janice Klein Anklam, Gail was the second of three children.  Together with her older brother Neal and younger brother Ray, Gail grew up in Parma until the mid-1950s when the Anklams moved to Medina.  Air Force veteran Neal died in 2020 in Marysville, Ohio, and he is survived by his wife DeAnna, better known to Gail as Annie, and younger brother Ray, formerly of Pickerington.  Annie and Ray (who now lives in Hilliard) faithfully visited Gail during that last 13 months when she was the recipient of exceptionally generous care at her home at Worthington Christian Village in Columbus, Ohio.

 

Gail’s three children remember her as a woman of inexhaustible patience (although they tried it often), and enduring faith (which inspires even now).  Her eldest son Kirk and his wife Lisa live in Westerville with their sons Grant and Brock.  Middle son Brad and his wife Shirley temporarily reside in Prague, Czechia with their daughters Joy and Rae.  Gail’s daughter Cori McCabe lives with husband Rob and daughters Lilah and Norah in Westerville.  The Winters and McCabes attend Heritage Christian Church, where Gail was known by many for her love of books and hymns, especially at Easter.

 

The family asks that you honor Gail with your prayers and loving memories, as no calling hours or services will be observed at this time.  A celebration of her life will take place this summer. Arrangements are being handled for the family by Hill Funeral Home in Westerville. Memorial contributions in memory of Gail can be made to the Worthington Christian Village Benevolent Association,165 Highbluffs Blvd., Columbus, OH 43235 (https://wcv.org/charitable-giving/).