Obituary for Bob Guinn

Lifelong Ponca City resident, Bob Loan Guinn, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend to everyone fortunate enough to meet him, lived a blessed, Christian life for 90 plus years. He left this earthly domain after a short battle with cancer to enter the heavenly kingdom that awaited him on Saturday, July 5, 2014. As he was in life, Dad will forever remain the rock of our family until the day he eagerly greets each of us again, and he’ll no doubt have a whole new array of stories, remembrances and recollections that we will never grow tired of hearing.

Bob Guinn was born east of Ponca City on December 15, 1923 the second son to the late Shelby and Millie Kennett Guinn, and the grandson of Benjamin and Maggie Guinn, original homesteaders of the 1893 Cherokee Strip Land Run. In addition to his parents, Bob was preceded in death by his brothers James, Don, and Rex and his sister Jean Bruce. He is survived by his wife of 63 years Shirley, son Jay Guinn (Susan), daughters Janet Tapp (Mark) and Joanie Bowen (Craig), 8 grandchildren, Andrea Morris, Errin Sieling , BethanyWefuan, Robert Guinn, Sarah Conrad, Hannah Quarles, Nathan Bowen, Josiah Bowen and 5 great-grandchildren, Asher, Brodie and Finley Conrad, Gage Morris and Ethan Sieling. Be it family gatherings with the “whole kit and caboodle” and freezing homemade ice cream (we all took turns sitting on the crank at some point) or just one person at a time were the moments in PaPa’s life that he cherished the most, he especially loved being around family. These were among the times that we got to hear all of those wonderful stories about life, farming and growing up during the Depression that he could recall with amazing alacrity. It didn’t take much to get him going, especially if his siblings were present, you didn’t need a television because words and descriptions said more than pictures ever could.

Bob graduated from Ponca City High School in 1942; farmed and ranched with his family and was employed by Cities Service Refinery as a “coke hound” beginning in 1947; he always looked forward to the monthly breakfast gatherings with the Cities Service retirees. He retired from Conoco in 1982, but didn’t retire from life and what a life he would get to enjoy. Whether it was taking off for California in 1945 to work as a dock hand for a winter or heading to Daytona Beach, spur of the moment with a couple of buddies, for Bike Week in 1948, Dad loved to visit new places. After he married and had a family, vacations to California, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Texas etc. became the stuff of legends, comedy and countless opportunities to experience life to the very fullest. And always with a memory made, treasured, remembered and shared, Dad absolutely defined the expression “live every day as your last because tomorrow is promised to no one”. Upon his retirement, he and Mom continued to make driving trips including to the east coast, up and across Canada, out to Seattle, Chicago, California, South Carolina, Florida stopping to visit friends and relatives along the way. This was Dad in his element, seeing farm country and talking to people. How lucky they were.

Bob Guinn married Shirley Ann Baldwin of Parsons, Kansas in Bentonville, Arkansas on September 29, 1950. They made a home near Kaw City, Oklahoma where he continued to farm and work at the refinery until 1959 when they moved to 153 Cedar Street in Ponca City in order for the kids to go to school “in town”. In 1963 they bought land west of town near the Ranch Drive community, began building a home (lived in the garage that first winter) where they raised their family and lived until May 2014 when they moved to Sedalia Missouri to the home of Joanie and Craig Bowen.

Bob and Shirley were active members of Ranch Drive Baptist Church; he was ordained a Deacon while a member of Sunset Baptist Church. He was also the President of the Longwood Cemetery Association for 6 years until May of this year; upon appointment he immediately spearheaded the expansion of the cemetery, petitioning the State Land Commission for the purchase of additional state owned property. As always, he worked tirelessly and, hopefully behind the scenes to make things easier for others. The countless number that considered Bob a close friend has truly lost a person that they knew they could count on to the very end. As his family will attest, his indomitable spirit and will to live aside, it would be nearly impossible to find anyone to say a bad word about him, because he never said a bad word about anyone; he always sought and found the good in others, never the bad and he tried to instill that attitude and compassion in his children and grandchildren (all who spent entire summers at PaPa and Moms house).

A visitation of family and friends will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 10, 2014 at Grace Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be held at Ranch Drive Baptist Church at 2 p.m. Friday, July 11, 2014 with the Rev. Jerry Graber, Rev. Craig Bowen and Bro. Clyde Garrett serving as officiates.

Pallbearers are Mike Moore, Clive Roller (honorary), Dudley Barnhart, RJ Warren, Charley King, Pat Bunny and Orville Wilks. Services will be handled by Grace Memorial Chapel with interment at Longwood Baptist Cemetery.

The family requests that donations be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, P.O. Box 4527, New York, NY 10163 or Ranch Drive Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1385, Ponca City, Oklahoma 74602.