Guerry Langford Suggs

Guerry was born in Atlanta, Georgia the son of George and Seamans (Langford) Suggs on November 1, 1938. He was a graduate of Cornell University and received a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He married Michelle Murphy on June 24, 1961 at Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church. They had 3 children, Gordon Suggs of Edgewood, KY, Nancy (James) Rosse of Springfield, IL, and Margaret (John) Herath of Granger, IN; and eight grandchildren, Matthew, Natalie, and John Suggs of Trumansburg, NY; James, Susan, and Helena Rosse of Springfield; and Adam and Zachary Herath of Granger, IN. Guerry married Jo Alessandrini on December 4, 2010. Guerry also had a step-daughter, Julie (Mario) Costa of Riverton, IL. Guerry was preceded in death by his first wife Michelle, who died in 2007; his parents; and his son-in-law, James "J" Rosse.

Guerry worked for Marine Midland Bank in New York City from 1963 until early 1976. In Springfield, he joined the staff of First National Bank of Springfield in 1976. Guerry retired from the bank in 2000 as a Senior Vice President. From 2001-2010, Guerry continued in banking by joining the Board of Directors for Security Bank.

Guerry has always given back to his community. In northern New Jersey where Guerry and Michelle first settled, he joined the Jaycees, served on the city council, and was very active in their Methodist church. In 1976, the family moved to Michelles hometown of Springfield, where Guerry continued his community involvement. While he never ran for political office in Springfield, he was very active over the years in numerous local political campaigns. He supported many civic and charitable organizations over his years in Springfield, including, Springfield YMCA, Springfield Urban League, Illinois State Museum, Illinois State Museum Society, Memorial Medical Center Foundation, United Methodist Foundation, Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Central Illinois, local unit of U.S. Small Business Administrations Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), The Springfield Projects Home Ownership Produces Equality (TSP-HOPE), Governors Prayer Breakfast Committee, Land of Lincoln Community Foundation, LLCC Foundation, University of Illinois Foundation, Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church, and many other local organizations.

Guerry received numerous awards and commendations over the years, including the Copley First Citizens Award in 2000 by the State Journal-Register. In 2006, Guerry and Michelle received the William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Leadership for the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Everyones clearest memory of Guerry was his warm smile, outstretched hand, and an appropriate joke. He loved to play tennis and ride his bike. He was a life-long Atlanta Braves baseball fan. In fact, Guerry was able to travel to every major league baseball stadium in the United States and Canada. As a part owner of the Springfield Capitals baseball team in the late 1990s, he was able to enjoy a new aspect of baseball.

In the fall of 2007, while in the pet store buying food for his cat, Guerry came across Jo Alessandrini. Jo had five pets at the time they met and she and Guerry credit their pets with being their match makers. Guerry and Jo had an incredible eight years together. They traveled extensively, seeing the world and spectacular waterfalls, attended sports events, including season tickets to the UIS basketball games, and new major league baseball stadiums as they were built. They also created an athletic scholarship at UIS.

Cremation will be provided by Butler Cremation Tribute Center prior to ceremonies.

Memorial Gathering: Family will receive friends from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at Boardman-Smith Funeral Home, 800 South Grand Ave. West, Springfield.

Additional Memorial Gathering: Family will also receive friends from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. on Monday, April 15, 2019 at Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church, 501 S. Douglas Ave., Springfield.

Memorial Ceremony: 11:00 a.m. on Monday, April 15, 2019 at Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church, with Rev. Julia Melgreen officiating.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church, 501 S. Douglas Ave., Springfield, IL 62704; Springfield YMCA, 701 S. 4th Street, Springfield, IL 62703; Memorial Medical Center Foundation, 1000 Churchill, Springfield, IL 62702; or the Guerry L. Suggs and Jo A. Alessandrini Athletics Scholarship Fund at the U of I Foundation, Office of UIS Advancement, One University Plaza, MS PAC 591, Springfield, IL 62703-5407.