Guy Ralph Toombes III

Guy passed Oct. 24th peacefully with Yvette Toombes by his side and the immediate family surrounding him the night and days preceding. In 1998 at Massacre Rocks State Park, Idaho, Guy suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury following a climbing accident. Over time his health declined, and heart disease was added to his degenerative brain disease. He moved to St. Joseph Villa all most four years ago for the care he needed. The staff at St. Joseph and those from Inspiration Home Health & Hospice deserve enormous credit for the care and comfort they provide.

Growing up in rural Holladay in the late sixties was the best. Plenty of open country in a small town, gave him everything a young boy wants. Skiing introduced Guy to the mountains, and he wasted no time enjoying them. By high school, with the help of a couple of classmates and the Wasatch Mountain Club, Guy discovered the backcountry. With the most experienced people, he pioneered tours in the Wasatch that have become the standard and classic tours of today. In high school, Guy fell in love with climbing. It became his calling, he never stopped. He made it his summer occupation for a decade working with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and becoming an owner early on. The job included teaching daily school at Teton Village Resort. Because guides could use the tram, access to appropriate locations for all levels of climbing, was much easier and quite enjoyable. The guides also took qualified clients on permitted climbs in the Tetons and 5-to-8-day trips in the Wind River Mountain Range. Most guides lived in the woods above Teton Village thanks to a Forest Service permit. Their homes consisted of three small tent cabins and a teepee. A small creek flowed nearby making for an idyllic setting. Guy’s climbing adventures included treks in Alaska, the Himalayas, the Sawtooth's, southern Utah, Yosemite, and the Rockies. Some of these climbs were first accents. As the climbs accumulated, Guy kept training. Wilfred Noyce, an English schoolmaster and accomplished mountaineer once said, “We go out because it is in our nature to go out to climb the mountains and to sail the seas, to fly to the planets and to plunge into the depths of the ocean. We extend our horizon, we expand our being, revel in a mastery of ourselves which gives an impression, mainly illusory, that we are master of our world. In a word, we are men, and when man ceases to do these things, he is no longer man.”

Guy was a senior in high school when the family moved to town near University of Utah where his mother worked. He graduated from East High and attended Rowland Hall St. Marks from grades 7 through 9. Guy began college at the University of Utah in the fall of 1968 where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in geology graduating in June of 1974. He was not ready to settle down into professional life as an engineer after earning his bachelor’s degree. Instead, he continued to work as a mountain guide and worked to make Jackson Hole Mountain Guides a successful company. In the fall of 1980 Guy went back to school for a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He completed his course work in May of 1982. Professor Stephen R. Swanson was Guy’s thesis advisor for the Development of a Biaxial Test Method for Composites. The supervisory committee approved Guy’s thesis in May of 1984. The final reading approval was granted by University of Utah January of 1986. Published in Experimental Mechanics 25, 186-192 June of 1985 by Guy R. Toombes (et al.) Biaxial testing of composite tubes. Guy being first author was one of his proud accomplishments. Guy was hired by Hercules Inc. in 1982 as a composite design engineer. One of his most rewarding projects was design, analysis, and testing of composite hip prosthesis. This project earned Guy a patent.

Guy quickly rose through the ranks becoming a program manager for High Tech Structures (HTS) in 1989. He was promoted to manager of all programs at HTS in 1994. Guy’s direct reports enjoyed working with and for him because he encouraged lively debates among indirect and direct reports. Customers enjoyed working with Guy. His great sense of humor and storytelling abilities about his mountaineering adventures, left us wanting for more.

Guy married Yvette Terry on October 5, 1985 at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark in Salt Lake City. They built their dream home 0.5 miles from the entrance of Millcreek Canyon. They spent their time building careers, skiing, backpacking, climbing, and cycling. The legal marriage lasted 14 years. Guy’s love for Yvette was deep and profound. One year after his injury he asked Yvette for a divorce. Stating, “We need to get a divorce. Not to do away with each other, but to preserve the love for each other. We are not doing this to each other but for each other”.

Guy is survived by his mother Martha Ann Toombes, his brother Gleed G. Toombes and his wife Mary, and Yvette Toombes. Guy III was preceded in death by his father Guy Ralph Toombes Junior.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday Nov. 16 at 1 PM at The Cathedral Church of St. Mark, 231 E. 100 So., Salt Lake City. Celebration of Guy’s life will be held on Tuesday Nov. 16 at 3 PM at Town Club, 1081 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City. COVID vaccination required at Town Club.

Contributions in Guy’s name may be made to Brain Injury Alliance of Utah 5280 Commerce Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84107 or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, UT 84741.