Dr. Gary L. Margot, university professor, author and Christian, age 80, of Mansfield, passed away at Avita Ontario on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, surrounded by the family who had always been at the center of his life.
Born June 2, 1946, in Mansfield to parents Merle & Evelyn (Fichtner) Margot, Gary spent a lifetime learning, teaching, serving, laughing, and—above all—caring about people. Gary simply didn’t seem to meet anyone he didn’t like. He was genuinely interested in people. He wanted to know where they came from, what they were doing, what mattered to them, and how they were getting along. Even during his own time in the hospital, when the questions were supposed to be about him, Gary was still asking questions about everyone else.
That interest in people shaped nearly every part of his life.
Gary served in the United States Army during the Vietnam era as a Medical Specialist stationed in Germany and was honorably discharged in 1969. Like many veterans of his generation, he returned home at a time when military service was not always met with the gratitude it receives today.
Education became one of the great threads running through Dr. Margot’s life. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and Computer Information Systems from The Ohio State University in 1973, a Master of Arts in Management from Central Michigan University in 1977, and a Ph.D. also from OSU in 1992. His doctoral work combined education, business, computers and adult education, culminating in his dissertation, An Investigation of the Management Information Systems Curriculum in Ohio Post-Secondary Schools Compared to the Needs of Business.
Long before computers became an ordinary part of everyday life, Dr. Margot was already building a career around them. He worked as a programmer for Therm-O-Disc in Mansfield from 1973 to 1975, then became an assistant professor at North Central Technical College. From 1979 to 1984, he served as Manager of Mechanization for United Telephone of Ohio.
In 1984, Dr. Margot joined Ashland University, beginning the chapter of his professional life for which countless students would know him best. Over the decades that followed, Dr. Margot taught business and computer information systems, advised students, contributed to the development of curriculum, wrote instructional materials, and eventually became Professor Emeritus.
In the late 1990s, Dr. Margot co-authored critical Microsoft software guides “Learn Office 97” and “Learn Excel 97” through DDC Publishing. These manuals served as essential tools for teaching consumer software applications.
But titles and degrees tell only part of Dr. Margot’s story…
Gary taught students from many walks of life, including adult and nontraditional students and incarcerated students through Ashland’s educational programs. Decades later, former students still remembered him—not simply because he taught them computers, but because he was fair, funny, approachable, and interested in whether they actually learned. He earned the Academic Mentor Award for 2010-2011.
Retirement did not end Gary’s desire to teach. He volunteered with Mansfield Christian School, including helping as its STEM programming developed, and with an after-school program through Mansfield City Schools, where he worked one-on-one with students, particularly in mathematics.
His Christian faith was an enduring foundation of his life. It helped shape his marriage, his family and the way he treated others. When Gary and his beloved wife, Connie, were younger, they volunteered in the church nursery—an assignment especially suited to Gary because he loved babies. He was perfectly happy to sit with one in his arms, rocking, talking and enjoying the company.
Gary and Connie’s own story took a little time to get started. Their first date was followed by a gap of roughly nine months before the second. Family connections and circumstances continued bringing them together, and Connie knew something about Gary that mattered deeply to her: he was a Christian. Eventually their courtship became a marriage and a family that Gary treasured above every professional accomplishment.
His daughters and grandchildren never had to wonder if they mattered to him. Gary showed up. He attended games, school activities and family events, sometimes making the trip even if he could catch only the last few minutes. He was the best Papa to Maddox, William, and Kailyn. Any chance to spend another minute with them, he welcomed with open arms. It was nearly impossible to ask Gary how he was doing and not get a full update on his grandkids, including photos, because he was so proud of them.
His care extended beyond his own family as well. When a young person he knew lost a grandfather, Gary quietly stepped into some of that empty space, attending baseball games and offering the presence and encouragement that came so naturally to him.
Gary also loved a good game.
Tennis was one of Gary’s great personal hobbies. He played regularly, often several times a week, and it became something he shared with his family and friends. His daughters remember playing with their dad and attending tournaments together. A proud Ohio State alumnus, he was an avid Buckeyes fan, and football season was a particularly happy time of year. He followed Ohio State basketball and also the Cleveland Browns.
He also enjoyed fishing, particularly walleye and perch fishing and trips with friends to the Great Lakes. As some of those old stories resurfaced over the years, his daughters occasionally discovered that the younger Gary and his fishing buddies had been a little more adventurous—and perhaps a little less sensible—than the professor they knew as Dad. Gary also enjoyed his sportscars, going to the Detroit Auto show, and when he put time and money into a vehicle he would still let others take it for a test drive (yes, even the nicest ones).
Yet his greatest investment was always people. He invested in his students. He invested in children who needed a tutor. He invested in his church and community. He invested in friendships. He invested in his daughters and grandchildren. Most of all, he invested in the life he shared with Connie.
There are impressive things to record about Dr. Gary Margot: an Army veteran, programmer, manager, professor, author, scholar and educator; bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees; decades spent helping students prepare for their own lives and careers. He cared enough to ask another question. To remember someone’s story. To help with the math problem. To make the drive. To sit through the game. To hold the baby. To teach the class. To encourage the student. To show up. And over 80 years, all of those seemingly ordinary acts added up to an extraordinary number of people who knew that Gary Margot had taken an interest in them. More than we can list here.
Gary is survived by his beloved wife, Connie Margot of Mansfield; his daughters and their husbands, Carrie & Bryan Beal of Lexington and Kelli & Andrew Sas of Columbus; his grandchildren Maddox Beal, William Sas, and Kailyn Sas; his brother and sister-in-law Donald & Valerie Margot of Lexington and extended family, including sisters-in-law Mary Margot, Rosemary Hart, Irene McConnell, and mother-in-law Concordia Prinz all of Mansfield; numerous nieces and nephews; and a wide circle of friends, colleagues and former students.
In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his brother Merle “Ron” Margot.
Friends may visit with Gary’s family from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, August 27, 2026, with a Celebration of Life at 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 28, 2026, at Snyder Funeral Homes, 2553 Lexington Avenue, Mansfield, OH 44904, with Dr. Phil Leineweber officiating. Military honors will recognize Gary’s service in the United States Army. His final resting place will be at Mansfield Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mansfield Christian School, 500 Logan Rd, Mansfield, OH 44907 or Berean Baptist Church (Mission Fund), 2145 Middle Bellville Rd, Mansfield, OH 44904.
For a man who spent so much of his life teaching, perhaps Gary’s most lasting lesson was the one he taught without a classroom: Take an interest in people. Learn their stories. Give them your time. Decide to like everyone. Follow where God leads.
Funeral Home: Snyder Funeral Homes, Lexington Avenue Chapel
Website: https://snyderfuneralhomes.com/