John Albert “Gunner” Gunnell Sr.
November 14, 1947 – August 24, 2023
John A. “Gunner” Gunnell, 75, of Iola, Wisconsin, passed away on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023.
He was born on Nov. 14, 1947, in Staten Island, New York to the late Albert and Cecelia (Morrison) Gunnell.
John graduated from Richmond College (New York) with a Bachelors of Art degree in Fine Arts. He took a break from the visual arts to become a long-standing historian and enthusiast in the classic car community.
He first moved to Wisconsin to work this dream job for Old Cars Weekly and Krause Publications. His knowledge of classic cars was vast and his writing career had taken him on many travels and adventures over the years. He has written many books and thousands of articles for magazines, newspapers and online formats over the years, all on his favorite writing subject, classic cars.
He was very proud of his membership in numerous classic car clubs over the years including the Pontiac-Oakland Club International (and Early Times Chapter), Classic Car Club of America, ABATE Motorcycle Group of Wisconsin as well as the Society of Automotive Historians. Most recently, he had returned to his love of visual arts, and especially painting. John was also a longtime EMT with the Iola Fire and Ambulance Squad.
He is survived by his longtime companion, Linda Clark; his children, John (Lynn) Gunnell Jr., Thomas (Jacinda) Gunnell, and Jesse Gunnell as well as their mother, Catherine Hurley. He has eight grandchildren: Elizabeth (Alex) Larsen, Catherine (LJ Mims) Binkowski, Cassandra (Andrei) Artene, Joseph, Will and Emily Gunnell, Kellen and Brayden Gunnell. He was blessed with two great-grandchildren, Suzanne and Aaron Larsen. His brother Jerome (Diane) Gunnell, brother-in-law Charlie Vuocolo, and nephews Justin Gunnell and Travis Vuocolo also survive him.
He was preceded in death by his daughter Suzanne Binkowski; his parents Albert and Cecelia Gunnell, and his sister Cynthia Vuocolo.
A Celebration of Life Visitation for John will be held on Friday, Sept. 1, from 2-6 p.m. at the Iola Old Car Show Activity Center, 700 E State Street in Iola. Please dress in casual attire as John would have preferred it that way.
In lieu of flowers and memorials, please consider donating to the American Heart Association in his name.
As one last memory for the family to cherish, please bring your classic car, as John never could pass up a car show.
Old Cars Weekly Tribute
Old Cars Weekly published a tribute to John Gunnell written by Angelo Van Bogart.
You can read it here.