Carol Jane Gwynn

Carol Jane Gwynn was born July 4th, 1946, in Bluefield, West Virginia, and died on the evening of June 8th, 2026 in her Yuma home surrounded by family. Carol grew up in a household with strong family values. She was lucky to have a stay-at-home mother and a family that prioritized nightly sit-down dinners with lots of conversation and sharing. Her father always stressed to his children that human value and dignity did not depend on what a person had, where they lived, or who they were. Her mother was quiet, capable, and fiercely loyal to her family. These are principles that Carol witnessed every day of her childhood and carried forward through her adult life.

Carol was faithful. Her sister Betty shared a story that in kindergarten, students at her Catholic school were encouraged to bring a container for Holy Water. She surprised everyone when she came home from school with a gallon of Holy Water (most of the children brought a baby food jar). This is indicative of the importance Carol placed on faith and her relationship with God.

Carol met Howard, her adoring husband of 58 years, at the University of Arizona Theta House. Carol's dad was tickled with the friendly, handsome young man who showed great manners and could play the piano. It was the beginning of an amazing love story.

Carol and Howard had three children; Christina, Ricky, and Tommy, who honestly must have been the luckiest kids on Earth! As a family, they shared immense joy and experienced some struggles, but they weathered the hardships together. They remained committed to a conviction of family first and continued to grow in their faith together.

To her children and grandchildren, Carol became known as Gigi. She was the on-time carpool driver to all, she fostered impactful close relationships that imparted values, wisdom, and funny stories. She was the director of "Homework Club", loved to play card games, and was everyone's favorite cheerleader ("Cute Cat Carol", reminiscent of her days on the University of Arizona Pom Line).

She was a lover of learning. Education was her passion, and she was eager to share her knowledge with others. She worked as a teacher at Gila Vista, and Crane Pueblo and Rancho Viejo Schools; she served on multiple school boards and academic committees. In accordance with her core values, she believed that all kids are capable of greatness, and it was her mission to help them achieve success. She was incredibly capable in her own right. Carol was methodical, focused, dedicated, precise, ethical, reliable, and probably could have been successful in any number of fields. But family and kids were her true calling, so she directed these attributes to benefit those she loved and cared about.

Carol was an incredibly good sport. She was always up for a river trip, sat through endless sporting events, was eager to accompany her family on countless roping and livestock adventures, and was famous for hauling 4-H sheep in the backseat of her blue Mercedes. She even learned to pull the horse trailer. Her motto was that it was important to "always keep the trailer moving forward". This became something of a guiding principle for her life. No matter how tough things got, she always kept the trailer moving forward with fierce determination and her beautiful smile.

Carol was preceded in death by her son Ricky Gwynn. She is survived by her husband Howard Gwynn of Yuma; her sister Betty (Terry) Tunks; her children Christina (Jason) Perricone; Tommy (Jill) Gwynn; grandchildren Marco (Sabrina) Perricone; Joey (Katie) Perricone; Emma Gwynn; Hunter Gwynn; Lucy Perricone; Charlotte Gwynn; and great-grandchildren Sterling Perricone; Sam Perricone; and Betty Perricone. A family mass will be held at the Yuma Catholic High School Chapel and a Celebration of Life will be held at the Gwynn Ranch.

To honor Carol’s lifelong passion for education, the family suggests memorial contributions be directed to:

Yuma Catholic High School

Carol Gwynn Scholarship Fund (Restricted Use)

2100 West 28th Street

Yuma, AZ 85364