Gerald Forret Guynn

Gerald Forrest Guynn 1930-2024 

Gerald Forrest Guynn passed away peacefully on May 1, 2024, at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Mississippi where he had been living for the past few years. He was 93 years old and died of causes incidental to his age.

Gerald was born on June 5, 1930 in Royal Oak, Michigan (where his family was living at the time). He was raised by his mother, Bernice Irene Ladds (1910) and father, Charles Forrest Guynn (1905) in Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania. The family lived next door to his Uncle Wilbur Guynn and one house down from his grandparents, Joseph Guynn and Bertha Laura Swickey.  The three owned farms right in a row as well.  Uncle Wilbur managed the three farms and at age 11, Gerald went to work helping Wilbur.

Wilbur was quite a challenge to work for.  So, when Gerald graduated from Sandy Lake High School, he enlisted in the Air Force. He served honorably for 22 years.  He was a veteran of the Korean and the Vietnam Wars.

One of Gerald’s early Air Force assignments took him to Shreveport, Louisiana where he met and married Betty Jean Strickland on February 4, 1950. Betty was working at a soda fountain in Shreveport when Gerald and a few buddies from the base stopped in for a milk shake. One of the guys said he was going to come back and ask Betty out on a date. As the group left, Gerald claimed he had left his keys and had to run back in. So he asked Betty on a date before the other guy could. The rest is history.

His wife Betty grew up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Gerald converted to the Church within a few years of getting married.  He remained an active member of the Church throughout his life. He served in Branch Presidencies, taught seminary and Sunday School classes, and taught adult classes as well. He and Betty served a mission for the Church at the Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City. He also served a mission at the Church’s visitor center in Carthage, Illinois.

Gerald was an excellent photographer.  His subjects were usually people. Many families in Florida, Tiawan, Thailand and Japan have photos of their children primarily because he gave away copies of most pictures he took. Many of the families he photographed were too poor to afford quality photos of their children and treasure to this day the photos Gerald gave them.

Another talent that Gerald had was an ability to talk to people.  He could talk to nearly anyone and certainly was blessed with the gift of gab. His sons all share in that ability. 

Having grown up on a farm, he repaired his own cars and his own tractors and yard equipment.  He flipped houses before flipping houses was a common term.  He taught his sons the value of work, he taught them to be dependable, and to sacrifice and save. His sons helped paint, plumb, wire, dig septic lines, drill wells, and develop the property that he was flipping. 

Gerald Guynn will be missed by his many friends, loved ones and family.  A great reunion awaited him when he passed away. 

He is preceded in death by his wife Betty, his son Mark, his father and mother, and three sisters: Shirley Joyce, Janet Beverly, and Nancy Joan.  

He is survived by five of his six children, Ronald Lee, Aubrey Clayton, Kenneth Gerald, Steve Allen and Dan Eugene; as well as his younger brother Brian David; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The family wishes to express their deep appreciation for the care and blessed work done in Gerald’s behalf by the nurses, the orderlies, the care givers, the therapists, the chefs and servers and all the team members at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport. We all slept better each night knowing he was at that wonderful facility.

Gerald will be interred at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Panama City, Florida. There will be a graveside ceremony. Contact Ronnie, Aubrey or Kenny Guynn for details.