Richard 'Dick' Cecil Guymon, 78
Richard "Dick" Cecil Guymon passed away of natural causes Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007, in Kalispell, surrounded by his loved ones.
He was born Dec. 1, 1928, in Great Falls to Margaret and Calvin Guymon. He spent his early childhood in eastern Montana and Colorado. Later he lived in Baker City, Ore., before settling permanently in Whitefish in 1942.
Dick enlisted in the Navy in 1945. He was stationed in Japan during his service before receiving an honorable discharge in 1948.
In 1949, he married Roberta Howke. To this union they had two children, Jennifer and Richard (Michael). They divorced in 1952.
He married Beverly Cornelius in 1955. They had six children, Leila, Leonard "Scott," John, Shawn, Kevin and Aaron. They later divorced in 1993.
Dick reunited in 1995 with his beloved school friend Betty (Moulton) Galley. They resided in Kalispell for a short time before retiring to Eureka, remaining as cherished partners until Betty's passing in May 2006.
In 1948, he hired on with the Great Northern Railroad as a yard laborer. He was involved in the construction of Hungry Horse Dam and The Dalles Dam in 1951-52. He also ventured for a brief time in the logging industry. In 1954, he became a permanent employee with the Great Northern as a brakeman until his retirement in 1986 with Burlington Northern.
Over the years, he enjoyed numerous activities including fishing, boating, collecting classic cars, throwing horseshoes, playing cribbage with longtime friends, shooting pool, and tackling the daily crossword puzzle. However, his favorite pastime was bowling, continuing on a league up until 2005.
Dick was preceded in death by his father; his mother; his stepfather, Jack England; his treasured companion, Betty Galley; and his loving son, Michael.
He is survived by his seven children, all of whom live in the Flathead Valley, daughter Jennifer Brauer, her husband, Ron, and children, Chad Schend and Heather Giles; daughter, Leila Brockie, her husband, Rob, and children, Matthew McHugh, Chris McHugh, Rob Brockie, Jr., and Joel Brockie; son, Scott; son, John, his wife, Brenda, and children, Jason, Janessa, Jared, Rhonda Doan, Nevada Monroe and Cheyenne Monroe; son, Shawn; son, Kevin, and child Matthew Shepard; and son, Aaron, his wife, Cindy, and children, Garrett and Grant; his late son Michael's children, Amy, Amber, Eric and Kris of Missoula; his brother, Pat, and his wife, Nadean, of Baker City, Ore.; and 17 great-grandchildren.
Dick will be fondly remembered for his kind and gentle spirit who always put the needs of others ahead of his own. He will be greatly missed by many.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish, with Pastor Pat Lovett of Eureka officiating. Dick will be laid to rest in Whitefish Cemetery with a gathering afterward at the Senior Center for refreshments.