Douglas Allen Guyer

Douglas Allen Guyer passed away peacefully on July 9, 2018, in the same farmhouse he lived as a child. He was born March 27, 1949 in Linneus, MO.

Doug enjoyed solitude and quiet more than most folks and liked reading and listening to the Farm Report. He was extremely competitive, dusting his opponents in cards, namely Pitch. He spent many free hours playing backgammon and checkers online, ribbing people who quit when they knew they were about to be defeated. He would flash an ornery grin and gleefully say that they “should take their loss in stride.”

Many who picture him would imagine overalls and a green John Deere cap, which was often the case, but he wasn’t always a farmer and bus driver. For a time, he was a college student, majoring in engineering at MU and also worked for his Uncle Bud and Aunt Emily Guyer at Walcott Water Systems, in Columbia, MO. Doug was fond of his time traveling for their company, and especially liked visiting Galveston and El Paso, Texas.
Doug drove a bus for Linn County R-I school district (his alma mater) for over 20 years. Countless students enjoyed the secret (sorta) water fights he allowed on the last day of school, and cheering with delight as the bus turned corners and sloshed gallons of water onto city streets all over Linneus and Purdin. He liked driving the bus because he was amused by kids and their hilarious and boisterous attitudes. He supplied the bus with a high grade speaker system because he knew how much the students loved music. And he was once the hero of a class of 6th grade boys when, after letting the girls listen to a single Spice Girls track all the way to Hannibal, he let the boys take over the music for the return trip. Field trips were a special treat, particularly the few he got to take with the National Honor Society to Kauffman Stadium.

Doug enjoyed sports, watching Mizzou basketball and Royals baseball were his favorites- which means he often lived with disappointment until the Royals finally pulled out their 2015 World Series win. He also excelled at sports, playing on the first Linneus men’s basketball team to make it to a State Championship. He may have been on the short side, but he had an insane vertical jump. Later, he put his talents to use coaching tee-ball and pee-wee baseball and never failed to laugh at the sweet innocence of kids picking dandelions and tracing their name in the outfield dirt; his patience and humor always at the forefront.

Doug was smart, mechanically-minded, and detailed-oriented. He was also a bit of a hoarder, who found value in using typically discarded scraps and bits, to tinker, troubleshoot, and ultimately repair items or solve issues that continually occur when running a farm. He was a loving and devoted father and grandfather. He cherished spending time with his grandchildren and giving them tractor rides, reading them countless books while they snuggled on his lap, and hearing them call him “Papa Guyer”.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore “Ted” and Lois Guyer; one of his brothers, Jacob; his first wife, Cheryl (Sportsman) and their unborn child. He is survived by his children, Travis and Ashley Guyer; son-in-law, Andrew Bernier and grandsons, Joel and Elliot Bernier; stepson, Brian Buckman; his brother, John and sister, Patsy Ripley; nephews, Brian Ripley, Steve (Cathy) Ripley, and Kenneth (Rebecca) Ripley; his aunts, Shirley (Guyer) Sheen and Emily (Walcott) Guyer; and several great nieces, nephews, and cousins.

As per his wishes, there was a private burial at Park Lawn Cemetery, Brookfield, MO. If you wish to send condolences, memories, or other messages, his family would love to read them- anguyer@gmail.com

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