Obituary of Guy Raymond Holliday

Guy Raymond Holliday was a second-generation native son of Wyoming born on August 4^th, 1936 in Laramie. His father, also Guy Raymond Holliday, was born in Laramie in 1875 and so was his mother Henrietta Greenbeck in 1902. During Guy’s years at Laramie High School, he was active in the Future Farmers of America, raising his own sheep and a bull. He graduated from Laramie High in 1955 and attended the University of Wyoming. During this time, he also built an apartment building in Laramie and did much of the work himself.

Guy’s mother Henrietta became ill and passed away in 1956. While receiving care in Denver, one of Henrietta’s attending nurses was Julianne (Julie) Weidenbach from Minden, Nebraska. Guy’s sister Patty encouraged him to take Julie for coffee and soon they were dating. Guy and Julie were married the following year on August 11^th, 1957 in Minden.

Guy and Julie returned to Laramie, where oldest son Jeff and daughter Laurie were born. After giving serious thought to purchasing a ranch, they decided the ranching lifestyle was not for them. The family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where Guy had taken a job with a bank in the mortgage lending department. While in Lincoln, their third child Greg was born. Growing up in Laramie and visiting Denver often, Guy missed the mountains and the West and moved the family to Denver in 1963. He continued his career in the mortgage business which connected him with many realtors around the Denver area. His realtor friends would let him know of houses they were listing that were in need of repair but were a good value. Guy greatly enjoyed projects and enjoyed the work and reward of cleaning, repairing and fixing up these houses. Having experienced the value of rental income from his apartment building in Laramie, Guy chose to keep these houses and turn them into rentals.

There is a quote attributed to Dave Barry; “A person who is nice to you, but not nice to the waiter, is not a nice person.” Guy was the person who was always nice to the waiter, cashier or doorman. Guy was a devoted Lutheran and attended church services every Sunday at Messiah Lutheran and later Bethany Lutheran. While his attendance was excellent, Pastor Del Wiemers at Messiah Lutheran would tease him about sleeping through his sermons. The state of Wyoming and the Wyoming Cowboys were part of Guy’s DNA and he delighted in seeing someone on a walk or at the grocery store wearing Wyoming gear and talking with them. Guy enjoyed daily walks around Bible Park with Julie and with their dogs. While the dream of ranching never became a reality, he maintained his connection to the ranching world as a member of the Western Stock Show Association. Guy eagerly anticipated the National Western Stock Show each January and if you attended with him, he answered questions about why this sheep’s wool won the Grand Prize and that one didn’t. Or why a steer was judged best in class over the others. You also got an amazing prime rib lunch. With your choice of pie. He loved the pies. On the day Guy graduated from high school, he returned home and was told to go into the garage and there, his parent’s graduation present waited - a brand new, red, 1955 Chevy pickup truck. It was his prized possession and he loved telling people he was the one and only owner. Guy’s kids remember him attending nearly every one of their games, swim meets and recitals. And so do the grandkids. He took great joy in his family and their activities. Guy and Julie were married for 66 years and their deep love and strong commitment carried them through thick-and-thin, highs-and-lows, and set a wonderful example for their kids and grandkids on making a marriage last.

Guy is survived by his wife Julie, his three kids Jeff (Nancy), Laurie and Greg (Chris), his grandkids Robert, Caitlin, Jackson, Gianna, Shelby, Brooke and Willy and great grandkids Zoe, Jordan and Palmer.

A memorial service will be held for Guy on Thursday, December 21^st at 11:00 a.m. at Bethany Lutheran. A reception will be held at the church immediately following. Lunch will be served and in Guy’s honor, there will definitely be cake.