August "A.J." Joseph Guanella Jr.

A.J. lived a very long and happy life. One of his nicknames was Always Jolly. He was an eternal optimist and never lost his love of life even as his physical body failed him. If you were a part of his life – thank you! He loved each and every one of you. A.J. loved community and as one of his friends has said “he loved to be involved”. His church, his work, the Englewood Chamber, his golfing friends, his neighbors, all the connections he made in every facet of his life were very special to him and he loved you all.

In April of 2023 A.J.’s health took a turn following a fall, surgery and resulting limitations to his mobility. He wanted to remain in his own home and his adult children rearranged their lives to make that happen. Angela traveled from Lafayette and stayed for weeks at a time caring for dad. Her dogs always accompanied her and he became very fond them. When one of Angela’s dogs passed away, she asked dad if she could get a puppy while caring for him, “absolutely not” was his answer. A week or two later Angela had a blue heeler puppy named Seven who dad affectionately called Elway. Seven wormed his way into his “grandpa’s” heart along with Rosa her other dog.

Lance took a lot of time away from his own busy and very stressful job in Denver to care for dad. Leaving work early, going in late and some days working from dad’s house. Lance’s dogs Leo and then Max accompanied him and got used to trips and overnight stays at “Grandpa’s house”. Lance also chauffeured Val to and from the bus stop in Lakewood to dad’s house many, many times over the past three years.

Valorie ventured down from the western slope to care for dad for weeks at a time. A.J.’s son-in-law, Michael was instrumental in this arrangement, never wavering in prioritizing his father-in-law and his dedication to facilitate Val traveling to Littleton; multiple trips to the bus station in the middle of the night to get her on her way, all the while holding down the fort and working during her absence.

Paul watched over Angela’s house during her absence which allowed her to be in Littleton for weeks at a time. Our father’s last three years were the best we could make them. He was very appreciative and told us thank you many times every day. It was a challenging but rewarding time; we wouldn’t change a thing even if we could.

Some of A.J.’s favorite activities in this chapter of his life included sitting on the front porch on his bench and waving or visiting with neighbors as they went by, attending church when he was able, daily walks, riding around in his little gray pickup truck, watching the Rockies, Broncos, and Nuggets from his Lazy Boy, enjoying his morning coffee, home cooked meals, and calling down to the dealership each evening to see how many cars were sold that day. He missed his wife Peggy immensely after she passed away in 2016.

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The following portion of our dad’s obituary was written by his good friend, Bud Wells. Dad was very happy with the wonderful job Bud did and was grateful for his efforts.

A.J. as a young boy carried an intense zest for life into his early years in school and by the fourth grade had begun playing baseball; he loved the game and his favorite major league team was the St. Louis Cardinals. In his sophomore year in 1949 at Englewood High School, A.J. began washing cars at Burt Chevrolet, where his dad, Augie, managed the parts department. Seventy-three years later, A.J. continued to serve as a store ambassador to John Elway Chevrolet, successor to Burt Chevrolet. He was Colorado’s consummate Chevy champion, tied to the brand his entire life.

A.J. played football; his best sport, though, was baseball. He lettered all four years at Englewood High School and in his junior season in 1950, the Pirates were runners up in the baseball state championship. As the smallest member of the team, playing second base, he was called “Shorty.”

The nicknames were always there for him. He once received a note from a customer, addressed to: “A.J., Junior, Shorty or whatever they call you.”

His junior year at Englewood High was even more special, beyond sports; in fact he became friends with Peggy Whitecotton, a cheerleader. They graduated together in the spring of 1951 and a year later were married on June 10, 1952. Among his prized photos is one of Peggy in a formal and A.J. in a white-jacket tux dancing at the Englewood High Junior Prom in 1950.

Only once did he consider steering away from Chevrolet. In addition to his prep teams, he played summer baseball each season and upon graduation from high school, he hoped to enroll at Colorado State College of Education at Greeley and become a baseball coach. But the Korean War would preclude that; he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served two years before going home to Peggy and Burt Chevrolet.

With his naval service duty behind him, he returned to his regular job, working in the parts department and driving the parts truck for Burt.

By 1960, with a growing family and encouragement from Peggy, he sought advancement with the company and was rewarded with a sales position. “At the time, Dad had a suit jacket, two pants and two shirts, and Mom kept busy washing and ironing,” a daughter said in later years.

On the strength of Chevy’s hot-selling Impala, the sales venture of the younger Guanella prospered. By 1964, A.J. was honored as one of the top 10 Chevrolet salesmen in the country. During a four-year period, he sold 1,412 new and used Chevrolets. He sold 74 in the month of March 1973. “It was a lot of hours, but lots of fun and very challenging,” A.J. said. It was “home away from home” for A.J. and all those hours at Burt left Peggy with the task of raising the kids, “with which she did a wonderful job,” said A.J.

Among A.J.’s all-time favorite cars, all Chevys, of course, were a 1941 Chevy Coupe, “which was my car in high school;” 1951 Chevy Pickup, “which I drove to ‘shag’ parts after going to work full-time for the dealership;” 1960 Chevy Impala Coupe, “my first demonstrator after joining the Burt sales department;” and 1968 Chevy Corvette, “such beauty and handling.” He never owned anything but a Chevrolet.

“Growing up in the Catholic religion and the responsibilities it instilled upon me really helped me in my profession in later years,” he said. Maintaining long lists of prospects and customers, the sales success rolled on year after year. “I kept in mind an old sales proverb, ‘Don’t forget about a customer, but don’t let a customer forget about you’.” A.J., with the support of General Motors Corp., soon attained a diploma from the Chevrolet Academy at Wayne State University in Detroit. He became general sales manager for Burt in 1973, after accumulating a list of 3,100 customers in his 13 years of selling. A major promotion came his way in 1980, when he was invited to become a minority owner in Burt Chevrolet. By 1986, as an executive vice president and general manager, he became 15 percent owner in both the Chevrolet store and Burt Subaru. He guided Burt to top 10 in Chevrolet sales nationally for many years, and his sales achievements were recognized in 1989 by Chevrolet General Manager Jim Perkins.

A.J. served as president of the Denver Automobile Dealers Association in 2003 and was chairman of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association in 2010 after the Denver association was folded into the CADA. “He’s one of a kind,” said Tim Jackson, CEO/president of CADA, “his popularity extends throughout the auto industry, far beyond the ties to Chevrolet.”

“We’ll always have a place for A.J.,” said Todd Maul, a general manager/partner of John Elway Dealerships when it purchased Burt Chevrolet in 2011, and A.J. continued as store ambassador.

A.J.’s ties to the Englewood/Littleton communities lasted a lifetime. He was honored in 2013 by the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce as Member of the Year, and in 2023 he received the Legacy Award from the Englewood Chamber. A.J. was a life member of the Colorado PGA Junior Golf Program and in 1996 was presented the Colorado PGA President’s Award. He raised funds for Littleton Boys Baseball, sponsored the Littleton Meals on Wheels Golf Tournament and provided cars for the State Patrol’s MADD program. He was an original parishioner of All Souls Catholic Church in Englewood and ushered continuously for the church beginning in 1959 until a 2023 back injury. A.J. and Peggy belonged to a dance club and spent many evenings all dressed-up for dancing.

A.J. was a member of the Bronco Quarterback Club and helped keep the American Football League Denver Broncos in town by selling season tickets to the other dealers on South Broadway. He even received an offer from a Ford dealer to switch jobs (we all know how that one went).

He had an office on the upper floor at John Elway Chevrolet, a look into the office in recent years revealed the cluttered accumulation of all those years serving the Burt/Elway dealerships. Photos, awards, books, old newspaper clippings, sales promotions, owner’s manuals, footballs, scale-model cars (mostly Chevys), boxes and boxes of this and that.

Guanella’s wife, Peggy, who volunteered for Denver’s Channel 6 television station after their four children were raised, passed away in 2016. “I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without Peggy and all her support and taking care of the kids,” A.J. had said. Surviving A.J. and Peggy are Paul of Lafayette, Valorie Erion and her husband Michael of Silt, Angela of Lafayette, and Lance of Denver.

A.J.’s most recent honor was induction into the Colorado Automotive Hall of Fame in May 2022 at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. “I won’t have much to say,” a slightly nervous A.J. commented before the ceremony, but when he walked on stage and after receiving the award, he said how grateful he was, told a brief story, then another, said “and one more thing,” and continued entertaining the large crowd with bits of his long, long career.

A fitting finish for the “Chevy champ.”

A.J. is and will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. Donations in A.J.’s memory may be made to Saint Mary’s Catholic Parish of Littleton, All Souls Catholic Parish of Englewood or a charity of your choice.