About Us

John, a lifelong Norwich native, is a 2013 graduate of Norwich High School and Hudson Valley Community College. He became a New York State licensed funeral director in November 2017 and has been a dedicated member of the Wilson Funeral Home staff since 2014. In December 2024, John officially became the owner of the Wilson Funeral Home.

Deeply committed to his community, John currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Chenango Valley Home, UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital Foundation, and the Chenango Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association. He is also a member of the Norwich Planning Commission, the Norwich Hometown Heroes Committee, and the Norwich Hall of Distinction Committee. In addition, he volunteers with several local organizations including the Northeast Classic Car Museum and the Chenango County Historical Society. John also serves as the Deputy Historian for Chenango County and has authored several local history publications.

John has previously served on numerous committees and boards, including the Chenango County Historical Society, Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County, and the Chenango United Way.

He and his wife, Ceara, live in a historic home in downtown Norwich with their daughter and two cats.

In his spare time, John enjoys collecting artifacts connected to Norwich’s past, attending car shows with his 1995 Buick Roadmaster, and spending time with family and friends.

Ann, a lifelong Norwich resident, is a graduate of Norwich High School and Marywood College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work. She dedicated thirty years of service to the Chenango County Department of Public Health as an Early Intervention Service Coordinator, specializing in supporting children from birth to age three with developmental delays and disabilities and their families.

Throughout her career and community involvement, Ann has served on the Early Intervention Coordinating Council and the Chenango County Professional Advisory Committee. She is a devoted parishioner of St. Paul’s Church, where she has helped organize Thanksgiving and Christmas basket programs, and she sings with the combined choirs of St. Bartholomew’s and St. Paul’s Churches.

In her spare time, Ann enjoys playing Mah Jongg with friends, reading, listening to audiobooks, putting puzzles together, baking, swimming, walking her dog, Duncan, and spending time with family.

Ann lives with a beautiful view on West Hill in Norwich with her husband, Bill. Together, they have two children, Sean and Katie.

1667-2024

John Joseph Gawronski, was born on April 23, 1967, and owned the Wilson Funeral Home from 2009 until his death on April 19, 2024. In 2015, John became the firm's manager and in March 2017, John and his wife, Shannon, purchased the funeral home from Doug and Sharon Wilson. John was offered a position by Doug Wilson, owner of the Wilson Funeral Home, where John then attended mortuary school soon thereafter, graduated magna cum laude, and was licensed as a funeral director in 2012. He called such work his “vocation.”

Prior to his death, John was active in several community organizations including being a past board member of Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County. 

Doug Wilson is a native and life-long resident of Norwich, and is a second generation funeral director, having followed in the footsteps of his father, Braden (“Pete”) Wilson.

Doug was licensed as a funeral director in 1980 and was the firm's manager in 1991 after the passing of his father, Pete. In 2002, he became the sole owner of the firm. In April 2017 he sold the firm to his long-time employee and firm manager, John Gawronski.

Doug is a graduate of Norwich High School, Cornell University, and the Simmons Institute of Funeral Service.  

His altruism is evidenced by his activities outside of the funeral home. Doug has served as a member, on the Board of Directors, or as President of the local YMCA, Chenango County Hospice, Norwich Rotary Club, Norwich Youth Bureaus, and area cemetery organizations. He also served as President of the New York State Funeral Directors Association (NYSFDA) and as President of the Leatherstocking Funeral Directors Association.

Doug and his wife, Sharon (Ryan), each of whom are now retired, reside at their home on Chenango Lake. Their daughter, Kelly, is an attorney in Baltimore, MD, and a resident of Alexandria, VA.