Edward Peter Guzis

He is predeceased by his parents, Julia and Peter Guzis. He is survived by his loving wife Patricia, his children Tracy Fierro, Jennifer Guzis, Catherine Garay, Peter (Jeannie) Guzis and Step-children Kristi (Pete) Fleischmann and Marci (Tim) Gubbels. He leaves behind his siblings, Paul Guzis, Charles (Mimi St. Clair) Guzis, Nancy Howard, and Jill (Frank) Stefanski and his nieces Carol Young, Joy (Luke) Sutton, Dawn (Keith) Thomason, his nephew Phillip Howard, his great nephews Daniel Young, Gabe Gerdom, Grayson Gerdom, Sam Thomason, Asher Sutton and his great niece Jade Sutton. Edward had many grandchildren including, Bethany Wolf, Emalia Sancen, Forrest Gordon, Adriana Sancen, Austin Eckhardt, Paige Guzis, Carrie Guzis, Nathaniel Guzis, Campbell Clarendon, and Step-grandchildren, Rudy (Neely) Fleischmann, Max Fleischmann, Otto Fleischmann, Owen Gubbels, Rylan Gubbles and Great-grandchildren Kiliyah McQuiller, Savannah Kinkead, Travis Kinkead Jr., Sariyah Wolf and Step-great-grandchild, Finley Fleischmann.

Edward attended Purdue University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. He joined the Navy on December 18, 1964. He went to Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, Rhode Island and upon completion was commissioned in the Navy as an Ensign. He joined his 1st ship in Puerto Rico and was initially assigned as an Electronics Officer, but after meeting the captain and discussing his college experience he was quickly appointed as an Engineering Officer, where he was assigned as the main propulsion assistant. From the time he was 8 years old he was interested in electronics and he received his first ham radio license when he was 12 and received the highest-grade license when he was 16. When the Captain was made aware of his interest in ham radio, he acquired a transmitter and Ed was able to set up a ham radio station. He would run phone patches to America for the Marines and Crew members. He volunteered to be an Officer-in-charge of a Swift boat in Vietnam and he and his 6-man crew patrolled the Vietnam coastline. He was honorably discharged from the Navy January 2, 1968 as a Lieutenant. For his service he received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. In April 2022 he received the Bronze Star Medal (with Combat “V”) for meritorious service from November 1967 to July 1968. He was extremely proud of his military service and receiving the Bronze Star Medal was a great honor.

During his time in the Navy, he observed the swift boats had a corrosion problem with the aluminum hull (which were stamped in RED with the name of the company which produced it which was “ALCOA”). After he was discharged from the Navy, he chose to pursue a career in the rapidly growing aluminum industry. He secured a position at Alcoa in Lafayette, IN as an Electrical Engineer. After working in Lafayette for many years, he was transferred to the Alcoa Laboratories in Pennsylvania. After two years he was transferred to Alcoa Davenport Works in Riverdale, IA where he supervised electrical and mechanical engineers until he retired 19 years later. After he retired, Alcoa asked him to return as a contractor to write quality control procedures for shipping aluminum products to customers. He worked part-time for two years.

While living in Lafayette, IN he met and married Earlena Darling and gained a beautiful 6-year-old daughter, Tracy Wolf. Ed and Earlena went on to have 3 more children; Jennifer, Catherine and Peter. During his time living in Indiana, Ed served as President of the Wildcat Creek Federation, a grassroots citizen action group in Tippecanoe County formed to protect and preserve the Wildcat Creek’s wildlife and habitat. He was a key figure in the subsequent establishment of the Wildcat Creek 53-acre Park which included sections of Wildcat Creek that were designated “Wild and Scenic” allowing future generations to have public access to canoeing and nature recreation.

After moving to Iowa, Ed and Earlena divorced. Ed spent many years as a single dad raising his children, trying to achieve a healthy work-life balance. Ed was an amazing dad who developed many new skills over the years while keeping life exciting for his kids. He was an expert meatloaf maker, the world’s best cheesecake baker and the creator of themed dinners for his kids such as “food that rhymes". Some of the featured entrées were wax beans mixed with saltine crackers, chicken ala king, and pork and beans were always a staple. He taught his children to cook and gave them incentive to take their turn making dinner for the family by creating the house rule that “The Cook Doesn’t Have to Clean.” Genius Ed Guzis move; everyone wanted their turn in the kitchen. Ed even oversaw cooking competitions between his kids to see who could make the best pizza and Rice Krispie treats. He was a very diplomatic judge and took turns awarding the winner, while also consoling the loser. He created new traditions like “Family Night” where everyone cooked together and then ate dinner by candlelight. And “Junk Food Night” where someone once thought “pickled pigs feet” sounded like a good idea to try (it was not).

Ed had many interests over the years, and was a lifelong learner. He remained involved in ham radio and participated in annual ham radio festivals. He even had his call sign (W9TW) on his license plate and his house was known for the antennas in the back yard. He developed a passion for roller blading (and only broke his arm once)! He took ballroom dancing lessons and even went on to win several local ballroom dance competitions. Ed had a beautiful bass voice and joined a local men’s barbershop chorus, The Chordbusters, whom he performed and competed with for several years. Ed also enjoyed bike riding and once participated in RagBrai. He later took up golf and enjoyed meeting with his friends regularly to play a round.

Ed was a man of integrity and he worked hard to instill this in his children. Honesty was so important to him in fact, he even went back through the Wendy’s drive thru once, because they gave him too much change. He always tried to set a good example and looked for opportunities to teach his kids valuable lessons like the importance of doing “the right thing” - even when no one is looking. Ed made a conscious choice to remain single until his ‘kids were grown’ which demonstrated his dedication to his children and his desire to always put them first.

When the time came that he felt ready to venture back into the dating world, he wondered if he would be lucky enough to meet someone to share his life, his home, his family and his faith with. The answer came when he met Patricia Robinson in Sunday school. They were the perfect match. In her, he found a loving, trusting, supportive partner who he could spend his life and share his passions and adventures with. The two were married on June 21, 2003. They spent nearly 20 years laughing, loving, and exploring the world together. They have traveled to Hawaii, Arizona, California, areas of the East Coast, Florida, Scotland, New Zealand and many other exciting destinations. They were both active members of St. Johns Methodist Church, and developed a network of close friends. Ed was a loyal servant of God and he valued the church family he and Pat both became a part of. He enjoyed the many groups he participated in at St. Johns, and he was a generous contributor to many charities. He was an exceptional man, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and faithful friend. Ed lived his life to the fullest and with maximum impact. He truly made this world a better place while he was in it and he will live forever in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

Services will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 109 E 14th Street, Davenport, IA 52803. The visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., a religious service from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a luncheon to follow beginning at 1:00 p.m. He will be buried with military honors at the Rock Island Arsenal Cemetery on Monday, September 19, 2022 at 11 a.m. The procession will begin at Runge Mortuary at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Ed’s name at one of his favorite charities which include:

• St. John’s United Methodist Church

• Disabled American Veterans

• Vietnam Unit Memorial Monument Fund

• Fishers of Men, Inc.

• Morris Animal Foundation

• Purdue Foundation