Don L. Mr. Twining

Don L. Twining, age 89, of Perrysburg, Ohio, passed away on Monday July 1, 2019 in his home. Born May 11, 1930 in Sylvania, Ohio to Ned and Bessie (McLaughlin) Twining along with siblings Dolores, Robert (Grace) and Barbara.  Don grew up in Sylvania Schools where he met feisty Suzanne Malloy for the first time on the baseball diamond when he “tackled her”. The sparks flew when she claimed to be a better shortstop than he and he believed no girl could play better than his boys. The two childhood friends dated for a while in high school with Don graduating from Toledo Scott High School in 1949 having excelled on the football, track, tennis and golf teams. Don continued playing football for the Air Force after enlisting (1950-1954) and was the 8th Air Force Supply Sergeant. In 1953 Don met and married Dorothy Ann Jetton and the Twinings moved to Toledo after being Honorably Discharged from the Air Force. Don started at Libby Owens Ford (LOF) in glass finishing, packaging and shipping and Dorothy and Don started to rear their three children Don N., DeeAnn and Douglas. In 1983 the LOF East Broadway site closed moving shipping to Rossford, OH where Don became Manager of 2 shifts with 26 trucks a day.  With Don’s direction, in 3 months the same personnel were efficiently handling 52 trucks a day.  As a measure of the respect that Don garnered, all of his original bosses ended up working for Don at some point. At 62 years old, Don retired from LOF after receiving the highest merit awards annually.  Retirement was reluctant however, due to major heart surgery. Football was always a passion of Don’s as he officiated Toledo University games in 1963 and Northwest Ohio High School games (1963-1974). He loved watching his grandson, Kris Twining, play football so much that he traveled weekly to avoid missing his games in Marion, OH. Don was active in the Zenobia Shrine organization between 1970 and 1995, including President of Stewards in 1993.  Following his Shrine volunteering, Don became active in the Conn-Weissenberger Post 587 of the American Legion (1995-2011), including periods as Commander (2001-2002) and Buildings Manager. Don loved organizing the Fish Fries, and sharing the stories of these events. The Twinings were members of Augsburg Lutheran Church, where he was Scout Master for 6 years when Don N. was young. During those years, Dee recalls how special she always felt as daddy’s little girl.  After retirement, Don enjoyed woodworking and took craft items to shows in the region. After the passing of his wife Dorothy in 2008, Don serendipitously met his high school sweetheart, Sue (Malloy-Conrad), whose husband of 53 years had recently passed. The two rekindled their romance and married in August of 2009 at Gesu Catholic Church surrounded by their families. Their favorite pastime was playing all sorts of card games and that provided a wonderful way to blend into Sue’s large family. A few years later Don entered the Catholic Church and the couple enjoyed being very active in the Gesu Church community. Don was preceded in death by his parents Ned and Bessie, sisters Dolores and Barbara, and wife Dorothy. He is survived by his wife Sue (Malloy-Conrad), sons Don and Doug, daughter Dee, brother Bob (Grace), grandson Kris Twining, great grandchildren Kade and Ally, as well as step children James Conrad (Martha), Douglas Conrad (Angela Wang), Cathleen Opperman (Bill), Tom Gabelman, David Conrad and Jenny Swope (Brian) and 14 grand and great grandchildren. The family will receive guests on Friday, July 5, 2019 from 12:00 pm-3:00 pm at Gesu Catholic Church, 2049 Parkside Blvd, with the Funeral Mass beginning at 3:00 pm and a meal to follow for continued visiting. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to be directed to Gesu Catholic Church, St. Francis de Sales High School Conrad Scholarship or Notre Dame Academy Carol Conrad Scholarship.