Gaylord Snow loses part of its family with Terrence Gillard's passing

GAYLORD — Those who knew Terrence Gillard describe him the same way; an infectiously funny guy who, above all, loved his family.

Gillard had numerous families in his life; his adoptive parents Frank and Madonna, his biological mother Kelly, and his four children, Xavier and Ryleigh LaFlure and Nevaeh and Novah Gillard.

And certainly, those who knew Gillard knew his hockey teammates were his family.

“Those guys on the team were everything to him,” Gillard’s girlfriend Tori Quintel said. "They were his brothers."

Gillard was one of the original members and captains of Gaylord’s semi-professional hockey team, the Gaylord Snow, and was just as much a part of the team’s family as they were part of his.

As a founding member, a former captain and best friends with team owner Myles Grix, the Snow lost one of the most important members of its family when Gillard tragically passed away on Saturday, July 16 at the age of 25.

Gillard, affectionately known as Terry to family and friends, was born in Bay City in 1996. He was adopted at a young age by his parents Frank and Madonna. They gave Terrence a great life according to Quintel, setting a strong example for him on how to raise his children in the future.

And he did. By all accounts, his four kids were showered with love by Terry and his family.

That isn’t to say Gillard didn’t suffer hardships as an adopted child growing up in Bay City; he did, including dealing with grief of his own when Madonna suddenly passed back in 2013.

But Terry’s outlet was hockey.

“He would do anything just to make a game, just to make a practice,” said Quintel.

Terrence lived and breathed hockey growing up, eventually getting into the competitive side of things as he grew older. He started with the Tri-City Icehawks, a Minnesota Junior Hockey League team out of Bay City.

Gillard spent the 2015-16 season on the Arizona Hawks of the Western States Hockey League before returning to Tri-City the following year.

After a few years off from the competitive hockey scene, Snow founder Myles Grix was in the beginning stages of starting a team in Gaylord in early 2020 and, being familiar with Gillard from tryouts they attended together in the past, knew he was someone he wanted on his team.

"He is one of the greatest God-given talented hockey players I’ve ever played with. I’ve always wanted him on my team because I hated playing against him,” said Grix.

Grix said Gillard was one of the first calls he made when the team was in the early stages of formation, and Terry quickly became a focal point of the team, a captain and one of the earliest members of the Snow.

Gillard made good on Grix’s call to get him involved, eventually becoming one of the leaders of Snow both emotionally and statistically. He scored 10 goals and logged 13 assists on 10 games in the 2020-21 season, followed by an eight-goal, 11-assist performance in a nine-game 2021-22 season, totaling 42 points over 19 regular season games for the Snow.

Gillard and Grix became best friends over the four years of their relationship, but Grix explained their relationship was a mix of peer-to-peer and father-son.

“The second he walked in the locker room, you knew he would be asking for something,” said Grix.

Grix said the thing he will miss the most is the way Gillard could make anyone laugh without even trying. He said Gillard was everything the Gaylord Snow was about; giving opportunities to those who haven’t had those doors opened to them in the past.

Terry was a critical part of the Gaylord Snow family, and that is just one of many families grieving the loss of a great hockey player, a great father and a great man.

On Tuesday, July 19, family and friends gathered in Monitor Township Park in Bay City for a special balloon release ceremony to celebrate Gillard’s life.

For those looking to help Gillard’s family with funeral expenses, there are a couple of ways you can help. First, you can give directly to his family by visiting the GoFundMe designed to help cover the funeral costs.

If you are looking to get active and involved, the Gaylord Snow is holding the Terrence Gillard Memorial Golf Outing on Sunday, September 18 at Michaywé Pines Golf Course in Gaylord, Mich.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord Snow loses part of its family with Terrence Gillard's passing