Gunning, John

GUNNING, Sr., John

Thomas "Tom"

John Thomas "Tom" Gunning, Sr. of Brookhaven, Georgia passed away in Marietta, Georgia on November 27, 2022 after suffering for several years with vascular dementia.

Tom was born at St. Joseph's Infirmary in Atlanta on December 8, 1935 to Marie Claire Gladys Leach Gunning, originally of New Orleans, Louisiana, and George Joseph Gunning, Sr., originally of Newport, Kentucky. George and Gladys relocated with their five children from the Cincinnati/northern Kentucky area to Atlanta in 1932. In Atlanta, their sixth and seventh children were born, the last of whom was known in his childhood as Tommy.

Tommy grew up across the street from the famous "Duck Pond" in the Peachtree Heights neighborhood of Atlanta. He attended elementary school at the family's parish, the Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, graduating from the eighth grade in 1949. Tommy went on to high school at Marist School when it was known as Marist College and was located at its original campus in downtown Atlanta.

Tommy was a strong student and athlete at Marist prior to his graduation in 1953, lettering for multiple years in football, basketball, and baseball. He was such a tenacious tackler on the football field that, as a freshman noted for his fearless tackling of the larger and stronger upperclassmen, he was bestowed the nickname "Bulldog Gunning" by legendary head coach, R.L. "Shorty" Doyal. To his high school classmates, Tommy was known as "Bulldog" throughout his life.

After high school, and now known as Tom, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of attending the University of Notre Dame, where in 1957 he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Commerce/Accountancy. While at Notre Dame, he met the love of his life, Margaret Elaine (Gretchen) House of Rome, Georgia, who was a student at neighboring Saint Mary's College.

After graduation from Notre Dame, Tom joined the United States Navy and qualified for Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, Rhode Island. Tom was commissioned as an Ensign, later promoted to Lieutenant, JG. Tom was assigned as the engineering officer on the destroyer, USS Compton, in Newport. On board the Compton, Tom saw much of western Europe and north Africa. He recorded his travels on an 8mm movie camera he purchased at the post exchange, delighting his children in later years with his Navy movies.

While he was in the Navy, Tom and Gretchen were married on December 27, 1958 in Gretchen's home parish church, Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Rome, Georgia. They welcomed their first child, Patrick, in late 1959 in the Naval Hospital in Newport. They welcomed four more children in Atlanta, Catherine in late 1960, John Thomas, Jr. (John) in 1962, Michael in 1965, and Matthew in 1970.

Upon his return to Atlanta, Tom embarked on a highly successful business career. He joined the public accountancy firm, A.M. Pullen & Co., and qualified to be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). After two years, he decided to learn more about the new field of business computing, and he joined IBM as a computer sales representative, where he won multiple national sales awards. His most effective sale was of himself, when in 1965 one of his customers, Tri-State Tractor Company, a regional distributor of heavy construction equipment, hired Tom as Comptroller. He was promoted to successively higher executive levels, ultimately becoming the President of the company. Tom was a charismatic and successful leader at Tri-State Tractor and its successors for 35 years, until his retirement in 2000.

Tom placed great emphasis on family life. He was a wonderful and supportive husband for Gretchen, an inspirational and energetic father to his five children, and a supportive and kind grandfather, known as Paw Paw, to his 13 grandchildren.

Tom dedicated two decades of his life to coaching youth sports teams, particularly his children's teams. He coached soccer, basketball, baseball, and, particularly, football. Tom was the head coach of the football team at his children's elementary school, Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School (OLA), for 15 years. The OLA Raiders competed in the United Metro Football League (UMFL), comprised of teams from the Catholic elementary schools in Atlanta. Over his tenure, the Raiders won five UMFL championships and were runners up several more times. Tom possessed great skills in leading and motivating his players and of designing clever and effective game plans that defeated many opposing teams with greater talent.

Until late in his life, Tom continued to be active in competitive sports activities through tennis. For several decades, he organized and played with a group of men who played competitive doubles tennis every weekend and holiday. He also organized and captained men's tennis teams that competed in the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) leagues for many years, winning multiple city championships.

Tom was a dedicated community volunteer. At Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, he was a lector and past member and chair of the parish Finance Council. He was a past board member and president of the Notre Dame Club of Atlanta. He was particularly proud of his 20 years of volunteer service to St. Joseph's Hospital. He drove an extended electric cart through the hospital's large parking structures picking up patients and their families and entertaining them with his enthusiastic personality on the way to the hospital doors.

Tom and Gretchen placed great emphasis on and made a significant investment in educating their children. Each of their four sons, who like their father are all CPA's, graduated from Marist School and from the University of Notre Dame, and their daughter graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School and from Saint Mary's College.

Tom was predeceased by his wife, Gretchen; and by his parents, Gladys and George Gunning. He was also predeceased by several of his siblings and their spouses: Patricia Gunning Reese, William J. Reese, Marie Claire Gunning O'Leary, Daniel J. O'Leary, George J. (Tim) Gunning, Jr., Augustus J. Merkle III, Barbara Gunning Johansen, and Frederick A. Johansen, Sr.

Tom is survived by his sisters, Joan Gunning Merkle of Atlanta, Georgia and Sister Maureen Gunning of the order of Maryknoll Sisters, Maryknoll, New York. He is also survived by his children, Patrick Gunning of Dunwoody, Georgia (Elizabeth Pelypenko), Catherine Gunning Lebovitz of Providence, Rhode Island (Mike Lebovitz), John Gunning of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Eileen Hill Gunning), Michael Gunning of St. Louis, Missouri (Katie Lancaster Gunning), and Matthew Gunning of Brookhaven, Georgia (Angie Phillips Gunning). He is also survived by his 13 grandchildren: Tom Gunning (Jackie Elmer), Andy Gunning, Mary Gunning, Carl Lebovitz, Alec Lebovitz (Catherine Michaels), Ian Lebovitz, Bobby Gunning (Isabelle Zelazny Gunning), Megan Gunning, Shannon Gunning, Ben Gunning, Sarah Gunning (Hunter James), Grace Gunning, and Ella Gunning. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

A Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, 1406 Hearst Drive, Brookhaven, Georgia 30319 at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, December 27, 2022. An interment service at Cedar Grove Cemetery on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions in Tom's honor may be directed to the University of Notre Dame, Development Department, 1100 Grace Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556; to Marist School, 3790 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven, Georgia 30319; or to Emory St. Joseph's Hospital, 5665 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Sandy Springs, Georgia 30342.

The family wishes to express much gratitude to Tom's caregivers, Ann Marie Hart and Towaka Dawson and to the caring professional staff at Heritage Hospice in Marietta, Georgia and the Trauma Team at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.