Douglas D. Guyer 1928-2007

CHRISTIANSON, BISSELL, GUYER, HOFLAND, ANDREWS, BENJEGERDES, KLEPPE, PAPE, DREWES, BEHNKEN, KEEHNER, WOODSON, BILDEN

Posted By: N Wagner (email)
Date: 12/21/2007 at 18:24:53

Douglas D. Guyer, 79, of Arlington, Iowa, formerly of Ossian, died Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007, at his winter home in Donna, Texas, following a brief illness.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Dec. 15, at West Clermont Lutheran Church, Clermont, with the Rev. Dwight Albers officiating.

Burial was in First Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Ossian. Pallbearers were Randy Andrews, Matt Benjegerdes, Shawn Kleppe, Monte Guyer, Eric Guyer and Devin Guyer.

Schutte Funeral and Cremation Service of Clermont was in charge of arrangements.

Douglas Dinsmore Guyer, son of Aubrey Clifford and Mabel Etta (Christianson) Guyer, was born Nov. 9, 1928, east of West Union in Dover Township, Fayette County. He was baptized Dec. 1, 1928, by the Rev. Gustav Gunsten and confirmed in May 1944 by the Rev. A. O. Nessitt, both in West Clermont Lutheran Church.

Douglas attended the rural school near his home.

He served in the United States Army from April 13, 1951, to Jan. 12, 1953, during the Korean War.

On Jan. 25, 1953, Douglas was united in marriage with Violet Marie Bissell by the Rev. Charles M. Hart at St. John's Lutheran Church in Arlington. To this union three sons were born.

The Guyers logged for the first two years of their marriage before moving to the Dullard farm, rural Elgin, where they farmed for six years. They then moved north to rural Ossian, where they operated Guyer Shelling Service for 16 years. Douglas also drove a school bus for North Fayette for five years and for one year for the South Winneshiek School District.

He began his Guyer Welding Service in 1973, operating on a full-time basis until 1995 and then part-time until 1999. He received the Iowa Blacksmith and Welders Association "Man of the Year" award at the IBWA Convention in Decorah in August 1990.

The Guyers moved to Arlington on July 1, 1994. From 1995 to 2007, Douglas and Violet lived almost full-time in their motor home, traveling to Texas each winter.

Douglas was a member of First Lutheran Church, rural Ossian. He was a 53-year member of the American Legion and was a member of the IBWA for over 30 years.

Preceding Douglas in death were his parents, three nieces, and three nephews.

Survivors include his wife, Violet Guyer; three sons, Douglas Allen (Karen) Guyer of Clermont, Dale Clifford Guyer of Jeffersonville, Ind., and Daniel Ray Guyer of West Union; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Also surviving are four brothers, Rodney (Doris) Guyer and Ethan (Vivian) Guyer, both of Elgin, John (Ellen) Guyer of Clermont, and Gary Guyer of Dubuque; and 10 sisters, Patricia (Sigvart Jr.) Hofland of San Diego, Calif., Angeline Andrews of Palo, Beatrice (Paul) Benjegerdes of Postville, Arabella (Leslie) Kleppe of West Union, Wanita (Harry) Pape and Olivia (Steven) Drewes, both of West Union, Kay Behnken of Monona, Rebecca (Robert) Keehner of Luana, Rachel (Gary) Woodson of Elgin, and Cynthia (Dale) Bilden of Clermont; and numerous other relatives.

Fayette County Union, December 18, 2007