Anthony C. Gagnet, who brought engineering talent and hard work to the family business and then to his roles with Honda, one of the firm’s former customers, died June 26 in the South Toledo home where he grew up. He was 59.

He had cancer the last three years, his brother, Jim Gagnet, said.

He retired Dec. 3, 2022, as an engineer with Honda Development and Manufacturing of America in Anna, Ohio. He had become a new model project leader. Formerly of Maumee, he lived in Sidney, Ohio.

He started at Honda after the family’s sale in 2005 of Die Cast Die and Mold Inc., of Perrysburg. His father, the late Roland Gagnet, became an owner in the 1960s. His sons later became his partners and, by the 1990s, the owners. 

His engineering skill in production tooling – Die Cast Die and Mold’s stock in trade – eased his transition from a family business where he had been president to a corporate setting.

“He fit in there like a glove,” said the younger – by 14 months – Mr. Gagnet, who was Die Cast Die’s chief financial officer. “He was successful and received promotions along the way.

“He settled in with a good team of people, some of which he knew before as a supplier for Honda.”

For nearly two years after starting at Honda, he commuted from Maumee, so that his youngest daughter, Catherine, could complete her high school career at St. Ursula Academy.

“Any way you look at it, he was hard working and dedicated to everyone in his life, whether it was work or family, and he did everything he could to make sure everyone was provided for and happy,” his sister, Annette Meklus, said.

His son Paul Gagnet said: “He was a determined man. He made so many sacrifices for our family. He really taught me and my siblings the value of hard work, and that’s something I strive to do every day.”

The Gagnet brothers had janitorial duties when, as high school students, they started working for their father.

“Tony was always interested in engineering from the aspect of working at the shop and learning how to run machinery and equipment,” his brother said. “That’s what inspired him.”

And their father encouraged his studies at the University of Toledo, from which he received a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology. Afterward, he became plant manager.

He also challenged the elder Mr. Gagnet to build a larger, modern facility. The firm moved in 1991 to Perrysburg and its own 10,000-square-foot building. A 13,000 square-foot addition followed in 1994.

The brothers also realized the need to diversify the customer base, beyond a small number of big accounts. He had the confidence to approach other companies with the pitch, “‘We have an expertise and would like to get on your bid list to have the opportunity to build your production tooling,’” his brother recalled. “Tony was the key person who grew the company to 55 employees.”

Even in the years since working together, “we would talk on the phone two, three times a week, about anything. I was so fortunate to have an older brother like Tony. He was my role model.”

Mr. Gagnet liked to golf and was a longtime Heather Downs Country Club member. He was known as an expert angler and enjoyed fishing for walleye and perch in Lake Erie. He and a group of friends for more than 25 years made an annual trek to Lower Michigan’s Manistee River in pursuit of steelhead trout and salmon. 

The family cottage at Bear Lake in Hillsdale County was a gathering spot for extended family.

“He was so much fun to be around,” Mrs. Meklus said. “He could make the whole family laugh.”

He was born Jan. 9, 1964, to Mary and Roland Gagnet. He was a 1982 graduate of St. John’s Jesuit High School.

A faithful Roman Catholic, he had been a member of St. Patrick of Heatherdowns and St. Joan of Arc parishes and, most recently, Holy Angels Church in Sidney.

Surviving are his wife, the former Kelly Ann Ford, whom he married Oct. 1, 1988; sons Paul Gagnet and John Paul Gagnet; daughters Anna Gagnet and Catherine Niese; brother, Jim Gagnet; sister, Annette Meklus, and a grandson.

Visitation will be from 3-7 p.m. Thursday at the Coyle Funeral Home, with a recitation of the Rosary at 7 p.m. The funeral Mass will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick of Heatherdowns Church.

The family suggests tributes to Sea la Luz, a nonprofit organization that helps youth in Honduras with education and health care, sea-la-luz.com, or to a local parish for a Mass to be celebrated in Mr. Gagnet’s name.

First Published July 3, 2023, 4:00 a.m.