October 15, 1961 – July 12, 2022
Donald Gill Wynns, 60, of Reading, MA, died on July 12, 2022. Husband of Katrin Davis Wynns; father of Ryan Davis Wynns (Boston) and Nicole (Nikki) Helen Wynns (Reading); son of Charles Moore Wynns Jr. (Reading, MA) and Joyce Gill Jones (Salem, OR); brother of Charles Moore Wynns III (Salem, OR) and the late Scott Wharton Wynns (Hilton Head, SC). Also survived by: sister-in-law D. Joan Lockwood (Salem, OR); niece Clea Louise Trask (Salem, OR), her husband Roy Allan Trask and daughter Violet Mae Trask; sister-in-law Wendy Knickerbocker Wynns (New York City) and her son Mark Bentley Wynns and daughter Kylie Knickerbocker Wynns.
Born in Amherst, NY, Don grew up in Wilmette, IL, and Lake Forest, IL, where he graduated from high school. Don received a B.A. from The University of Vermont and a Master of International Economics degree from George Washington University. He spent his professional career as an executive in a series of innovative data mining and data services companies, most recently Sheer ID, HG Insights, and ZoomInfo. He and Katrin lived in Tokyo, Japan (where he taught English language courses) and Virginia before settling in Reading to raise their children.
Don was devoted to family as his first priority. He was active in youth sports with his kids, coaching Reading Youth Baseball and Reading Youth Softball teams, as well as Bay State Summer League Baseball. He was also a lifelong sports participant and fan – especially regarding the travails of the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears. He begrudgingly extended his fandom to Boston teams, especially when rooting along with his kids.
Don and Katrin loved their annual trips to the Outer Banks in North Carolina with family and were also avid international travelers wanting to expose their children to new cultures and experiences. Don was a member of Meadow Brook Golf Club in Reading, where he was an accomplished tennis player and ever-improving golfer. He was an active cyclist and devoted member of the Pep’s Peddlers biking team, which raised thousands of dollars in support of Multiple Sclerosis treatment efforts. Don also enjoyed kayaking, reading, history, music and drawing. His most famous finished piece was a color drawing of Red Sox legend Manny Ramirez that he jokingly referred to as “The Man-Nay.”
His humility, kindness and keen sense of humor will be missed by both family and friends.
A graveside service will be conducted Saturday, July 23rd at 1:00 PM at Wood End Cemetery, 33 Franklin Street, Reading, MA. The memorial service will be at 4:00 PM on July 23 at Marsh Chapel at Boston University, 735 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA.
The family asks that any gifts in Don’s memory go to one of the following organizations: National Brain Tumor Society 55 Chapel Street, Suite 006 Newton, MA 02458 (braintumor.org), American Brain Tumor Association 8550 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Ste 550 Chicago, IL 60631 (abta.org) or The MGH Brain Tumor Center Development Office 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540 Boston, MA 02114-1101 (massgeneral.org).
