Eugene "Gene" Wrinn

1935 - 2021

Eugene "Gene" Wrinn
Eugene "Gene" Wrinn – married to Gloria Seymour Wrinn for the past 65 years – passed away peacefully Sunday morning June 13th, 2021 surrounded by family at his home on Lockwood Lane in his lifelong city of Norwalk, CT. Gene was born March 25, 1935 to his father, James Wrinn, and his mother Ann Dickovick-Wrinn along with sister Marilyn, who resides in Massachusetts. Gene is survived by his loving, devoted, and patient wife Gloria, five children, eleven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren (with many more on the way who will be sure to hear of Pa and his exploits).
Gene graduated from Norwalk High School in 1953. Gene briefly attended the University of Alabama before returning to Norwalk to marry his high school sweetheart in Gloria and open his own auto body shop, Wrinn's Auto Body located on 170 Martin Luther King Dr. until the mid 80s. Beyond the auto-body, Gene was an avid outdoorsman, photographer, dog-lover, prank-puller, joke teller, western music consumer, a local football youth coach, and burgeoning collector of all things he might have found interesting. As a devoted father, Gene built Tall Timbers for his kids in Halifax, VT as a mountain escape that still stands (slightly crookedly) to this day. Gene always held a sense of wonder and awe about the world and its progress that he shared with anyone who would listen, a reminder that the world is a genuinely good place when surrounded by family, friends, and good food.
Genes's influence has only grown as his family has. Gene is survived by his son, James and wife Christa of Norwalk; son, Michael and wife Laura of Norwalk; son, Eugene and wife Diane of Guilford, VT; daughter, Lois and husband Michael Nelson of Westfield, NJ; and son, David and wife Amy of Norwalk.
Pa was brought massive amounts of joy playing with his grandchildren, who in turn enjoyed tugging on his beard and being yelled at to not run near the pool: granddaughter Krystal and her husband Joshua Porter; grandson Corey and wife Katie; grandson Joshua and wife Brooke; grandson Eugene; grandson Shaun; grandson Brian Nelson and fiancée Shawna; grandson Gregory Nelson; granddaughter Sara; granddaughter Lindsay and husband Adam Cruickshank; granddaughter Megan and husband Andrew Giron; and his granddaughter Devon and her dog Frankie.
Services for Gene will be held at Collins Funeral Home Tuesday, June 15 from 5-8 p.m. Gene will be celebrated with a Catholic mass at his parish of St. Thomas on June 16 at 10 a.m. He will be interred at St. John's Cemetery nearby both he and Gloria's parents. Gloria and the entire Wrinn family thank you for your consideration and prayers – please ask for a story about Gene: there are plenty to go around.