Todd W. Gauntner

Todd W. Gauntner 34, of Willowick, passed away the morning of March 23, 2020. We honored his wish as a Lifebanc donor.

Born February 17, 1986 in Mayfield, He was a man of unique qualities and will be missed by all that were lucky enough to know him.

Todd was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps in 2010. He proudly served his country as a combat veteran in the 1/6 weapons company at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He was deployed in 2008 to Garmsir, Afghanistan and again in 2010 to Marjah, Afghanistan. He fought bravely alongside his fellow marines sadly losing some that he was close to and sustaining some injuries himself. Upon returning, he graduated from the Cleveland Heights  Police Academy in 2011, sworn into the Eastlake Police Department in 2012 and then became a Euclid police officer in 2013. In 2018, Todd received an award for bravery when he aided in saving a man’s life who was shot multiple times. He made many friends and developed an unbreakable bond with his fellow marines and police officers.

Todd always had a soft heart for animals and demonstrated that at home and the animal hospital he worked at during high school. Porter, his therapy dog, was his faithful and constant companion. He was actively pursuing a business degree at Lakeland Community College with aspirations to start his own business..

He enjoyed the outdoors as a true survivalist, there was no adventure that seemed off limits. He would sometimes take his 2003 Ford Mustang GT to the Thompson Drag Raceway just to see how fast he could go. Family parties, kayaking with friends, range shooting, snowboarding in Montana, live gaming and watching super hero movies with his girlfriend, Katy, were just a few of the activities that he loved. Family love was important, he always carried a beautiful smile, an infectious laugh and that special smirk.

Todd is survived by his loving father Daniel, his loving mother Jody Beller (Smith) and his beloved sister Jenna, step-sisters Shana, Tanya, and Jessica. His step-sister Stephanie and half-brother Mitchell. His beloved girlfriend Katy Hickman, and his constant four-legged companion, Porter. Uncle Todd will be missed by his many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his beloved stepmother Kenny Gauntner(Herrera), AKA “momma bear”  in 2015.

There will be a “Celebration of Life” service, with military honors, at the Wickliffe I & A Club located at 29717 Euclid Ave., Wickliffe on August 30, 2020 from 11:30 am  – 1:00 pm, food and beverage will be served afterward. The service will be held outdoors at the pavilion, the family asks that observation of social distancing be respected.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Todd’s memory to any of the veterans charities listed here:

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Inc. PO Box 695, LaPlata, MD. 20646

*Note for the Willoughby Program

Puppies Behind Bars  263 West 38

th

Street, 4

th

Floor, New York, NY10018.

Or you can donate to the family as we will be making and sending care packages to the 1/6 weapons company of Camp Lejeune where they are deployed overseas.

Checks can be made payable to:  Estate of Todd Gauntner,  PO Box 141, Willoughby, Ohio 44096