Leonard Guth

1923 - 2013

Guth, Leonard A.

Leonard (Len) Guth, of Wisconsin Rapids, passed away peacefully at Our House Assisted Living surrounded by his family on Monday, March 11, 2013.

Funeral service will be held 10:00 AM Saturday, March 16, 2013 at St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church 820 13th St S, in Wisconsin Rapids, followed by a luncheon in the Church basement. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 PM Friday at Ritchay Funeral Home 1950 12th St S, Wisconsin Rapids and at the Church on Saturday from 9:00-10:00 AM. There will be a Parish Prayer Service at 7:00 PM Friday at the funeral home. Burial with military rites will be held at St. Martin Cemetery in the town of Buena Vista.

Len was born June 17th, 1923 on the family farm of his parents, the late John and Agatha (Meronk) Guth. He attended the country school at Keene, town of Buena Vista, Plainfield and graduated from P.J. Jacobs High School in Stevens Point. On January 25 1943 Len entered military service as a 1st lieutenant with the U.S. Army Corps Weather Service. He served in the Pacific Theater and the occupation forces in Japan and was honorably discharged on August 26, 1946.

Len attended the University of Wisconsin Madison and received a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering. He was registered as a Professional Engineer and Land Surveyor in the State of Wisconsin. He worked on highway design and construction projects in western and central Wisconsin and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Len retired in 1988 from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation where he was in charge of district bridge maintenance. After retiring he was elected to the Wood County Board of Supervisors where he served 14 years.

Fishing in Canada with friends and family, spending time on his tree farm making maple syrup, hunting, and cutting wood were the simple joys of Len's life. Len belonged to St. Vincent de Paul Church and sang in the choir. He was a member of the American Legion Post 9 and Knights of Columbus Council 1558 in Wisconsin Rapids.

On April 28th, 1962 Len was married to LaRayne (Lukasavitz) Teske. She died on October 6th 1989. His parents, four brothers, and two sisters preceded him in death. Two daughters; Mary Kay (Greg Landry) Guth, Portland Oregon, Sara (Erik) Heggland, Boise, Idaho; two stepsons, Richard Teske, Steven Point and Alan (Jill) Teske, Wisconsin Rapids, and one sister, Dolores Nelson, Portland Oregon, survive him.

All memorials will go to the Leonard and LaRayne Guth Family Scholarship at Incourage Community Foundation.

The family would like to thank the many friends and relatives, especially Connie Landry and Betty Lou Deranek, for their support.