John Guinn's Obituary
John Elwood Guinn, son of Lloyd E. and Hazel Lewis Guinn, was born April 8, 1920, in Clinton, Indiana. He departed this life Saturday, December 24, 2011, in Northridge Place Assisted Living Facility in Lebanon, Missouri, at the age of ninety-one years, eight months, and sixteen days.
On June 7, 1942, he was united in marriage to Billie Louise Barber, and to this union one daughter and three sons were born. Billie passed away in 1990.
In August 1991, John married Iva Dell Daugherty Barber, who preceded him in death in June of 2009.
His parents, and an infant daughter also preceded him in death.
John is survived by three sons, Rex Guinn, and his wife, Pat, of Lexington, Kentucky, Doug Guinn, and his wife, Kathy, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Rusty Guinn, and his wife, Ronda, of Eldridge, Missouri; a step-son, Paul Barber, and his wife, Fredrica, of Long Lane, Missouri; a step-daughter, Barbara Jean Pitt, and her husband, Steve, of Long Lane, Missouri; four grandchildren, Wendy, Jennifer, Marnee, and Anna; six great-grandchildren, Tanner, Devon, Emily, Isabella, Emma, and Luca; five step-grandchildren, Scott, Brett, Heath, Jamie, and Whitley; four step-great-grandchildren; as well as a host of other relatives and friends.
He was born in Indiana, and was raised in coal mining towns in Utah and New Mexico. He began college just before World War II, and then joined the Army Air Corps. He served his country faithfully during World War II and became a captain of a B-29. After being honorably discharged from the Air Corps, John received his Bachelor?s Degree from the University of Colorado, in Denver, Colorado, and then earned his Master?s Degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan in 1959. John and Billie raised their three boys while John was working in public health in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In 1970, John, Billie, and Rusty moved to New Mexico, where John continued his career with the New Mexico Health Department. John retired from the New Mexico Health Department in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1985, and soon after, he and Billie moved to Cherokee Village, Arkansas. In 1991, John married Iva Dell Barber, and they made their home in Lebanon, Missouri.
John was a member of the Church of Christ and had attended the South Five Church of Christ in Lebanon and the Conway Church of Christ. The loving Barber family, in and around Lebanon, helped to strengthen John?s faith and enriched his life.
In his spare time he enjoyed painting, playing golf, tracing his family genealogy, and traveling. His family was very important to him and he especially enjoyed his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
John was a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and was a caring neighbor and friend. We celebrate his life and know that his family and friends will treasure the wonderful memories he made for them throughout his lifetime.
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