Alan H. Guard

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University of Notre Dame

Alan Guard Obituary

DELMAR - Alan H. Guard, 88, died Friday (July 13, 2012) at Albany Medical Center Hospital after a brief illness.
There will be no calling hours. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday (July 18) at 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 35 Adams Place, Delmar, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider donations to the charity of one's choice, the American Cancer Society, 260 Osborn Road, Loudonville, NY 12210 or the Lance Armstrong Foundation, 2201 E Sixth St. Austin, Texas 78702.
He was born in Geneva, N.Y., second son of Louis H. and Olive Shannon Guard, and moved to Delmar in 1962. Mr. Guard was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and in 1944 was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy from the first NROTC class at Notre Dame. He served on destroyer escorts in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific theatres, and retired from the Naval Reserve in 1959 as a Lieutenant. He held a real estate broker's license since 1947. He worked as a real estate appraiser for the NYS Board of Equalization and Assessment from 1959 to 1962, when he joined the NYS Office of General Services as Chief, Bureau of Leases. He retired from that position in 1983 and worked with Robert Cohn Associates for several years.
He was a former member of the University Club, the Delmar Camera Club, and the Watervliet Fish & Game Club. He was also a member of the Bethlehem Sportsman's Club, where for several years he coached juniors in the sport of trapshooting. He was active in Scouting for many years and attained the rank of Eagle Scout as a boy. The Hamagrael Pre-School called upon him for several years to be their Santa Claus. He became a tour guide on the USS SLATER in 1998, and told his captive audience, "Take a good look at me, I'm living history." He held a lifelong fondness for music, particularly jazz, and played a mean piano (it was "mean" to everyone who heard him play, but he enjoyed it anyway).
Survivors include his wife, Betty (Furr); four daughters, Catharine Olsen of Leesburg, Fla., Deborah Guard of Niskayuna, Susan Boynton of Delmar, Mary Devenpeck of Colonie; and a son, Peter Guard of Sammamish, Wash. There are eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and four half-brothers.
His brother, Howard, predeceased him in 1967.

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Published by Finger Lakes Times on Jul. 17, 2012.

Memories and Condolences
for Alan Guard

3 Entries

Thomas Strange

August 3, 2012

For over six years, Alan and I kept in steady contact, mostly around our favorite topic of jazz and old 78 records. I was astounded at his depth of knowledge and interests, and we will miss him down here in SC!

Howell Morris

July 23, 2012

To the Family of Alan Guard... Our thoughts and prayers go out to you in this time of sorrow. My son Howell became extremely fond of Alan while doing yard work. When the work was done, Howell always left knowing a little more about "life" and responsibility. Alsn was a great teacher. I had the previlige to meet Alan only once when picking up Howell. I found talking to him like some friend you have known for many years. Alan had a way of making you feel comfortable around him.

Thank you for allowing Howell to work for Alan and getting to know a special person.

Sincerely,
The Morris Family
Howell, Marylou, Ben, Andrew and Howell

David Smith

July 16, 2012

For a dozen years now Alan's bright and pity e-mails have brightened my In box. He seemed to have a word for everything. Not just the right word but the perfect word. Few in my experience had his command of English. His stories, too, provide much insight into the measure of the man and I for one will miss him. (His "head" cleaning tale from his Navy days is a classic. Most lieutenants would have put the steward on report for refusing the task but to do the job himself and say that it was "No big deal…" shows character indeed.)

My thoughts and prayers go out to you all at this difficult time. The passing of someone whom we love as much as a spouse and a parent is always difficult – no matter how much we are prepared for it. Time however does indeed heal and often it is only in the missing of those we love and hold close to us that we realize how much we gained from knowing them and how much of them will still go on within each of us.
Best,
David

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