Gary Boyd Guy

Gary Boyd Guy, age 71, died peacefully on September 5, 2019 in Austin, Texas. The son of Bill and Valaree Guy, he was born 6 weeks premature on June 25, 1948 at the old St. David’s Hospital in Austin, Texas. It was a hard beginning, as the doctors said they’d never seen a baby struggle so much to live. But live he did.

He was left handed, and very left handed indeed. He often joked, “I’m in my right mind.”

As a young boy he loved to read and collect stamps and first day covers. He really loved electronics. When his mother took him to the Ham Operators Cub of Austin, he was as happy as a pig in slop. He built his own crystal radio set, soldering happily along—and the radio actually worked! He also loved to play sports with his brother Paul and their friends.

Gary’s love of electronics eventually led to his becoming an electrical engineer at The University of Texas, where he became a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.

After graduation from UT, he worked for Dallas Power and Light and then Texas Utilities in Dallas for more than 29 years in the Transmission Group. In time he earned the prestigious Professional Engineer (P.E.) License. He studiously maintained that status for years, even after his retirement and move back to Austin.

Throughout high school, UT, his engineering career, and retirement, Gary was faithful in attendance to his church and Bible studies. He was a strong believer and very committed to a Christian life. He coached boy’s church Pee Wee basketball for several years. He gave freely to several charities as well as to his local church.

Another of Gary’s loves was photography. He had a 35 mm camera plus a larger Mamiya camera. He shot several weddings for church friends as well as carefully and lovingly photographing his parents, brothers, nieces and nephews.

After retirement, Gary eventually became a substitute teacher in the AISD. He loved this work and especially loved teaching the younger elementary school students. He also volunteered as a reader for the blind, which involved recording material for the blind to listen to. Later he worked as a reading mentor for elementary students who were not reading up to grade level. He was really looking forward to this one-on-one contact with the students when the program was to start again in October.

After a few years in Austin, Gary gave up his apartment and lived with his parents in their old age. When his father died, he was an especially great help to his mother, up until her death. When her eyesight failed, he read Gone With The Wind to her. One project that she wanted help with was a telling of the Guy Family History. It ended up being 10 binders with facts about the family (including several generations), recounts of family adventures, stories about babies and toddlers, and original stories that his mother wrote. The basis for the entire Guy Family History was the letters that Valaree Guy wrote to her three sons, her mother and sister, and the letters that came back from those family members.

Sometime after his mother died, he moved to Conservatory at North Austin. It was there that he made many friends and developed a reputation as a friend and helper of many. He would help his friends when they were having trouble with their phones, computers, DVD players, televisions and TV remotes. Quite often his brother would call on the phone, only to find him with a friend, visiting and helping.

Gary would also deliver food to the rooms of friends who could not go to the dining room themselves. Or, he would push them in their wheel chairs to the dining room and get their food for them. All this so they wouldn’t have to pay to have staff deliver food to their rooms.

During these years he had numerous physical problems, sometimes having to use a wheel chair and then only a cane. Residents of the Conservatory tell of his spending hours in the exercise room, walking up and down the hallways, trying to improve his walking. This tenacity was one of his hallmarks, starting with his birth and carrying right up to the end.

Gary was happy, giving, loving, smart, honest, sweet, hardworking, and caring, while also being stubborn and picky. And he was very much loved by family and loved by friends. He valued service to others. He was a friend to many and a helper of many. We miss him very much.

He is survived by his two brothers Paul Guy and his wife Heidi of Chico, California; Greg Guy and his wife Cynthia of Aiea, Hawaii; niece and nephews Joel Guy, Heather Troth, Kevin Guy, and David Guy; and six grand nieces and nephews.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, September 9, 2019 in the Chapel of Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 North Lamar Blvd. Interment will follow at Austin Memorial Park.