Wesley Guebert
If it was up to our dad, he would not have an obituary. If he did, it would read “Wesley R. Guebert died on September 26, 2024.” We, his six kids, want to add a bit more.
Wes was blindingly intelligent, but often would not let that show.He loved to grow things; roses in Connecticut, dahlias in Atlanta, and he filled a greenhouse after he retired. He loved to build things, mostly out of wood. Most of his grand children received a toy box built by him. He built his own children an outdoor play house (Fort Courage!). He was always curious, believed in science and had a rascally sense of humor, if you were lucky enough to see it.
Wes was born in Fort Worth on Jan 18,1931. He was the middle child to LaVerne (VanLough) and Walter Guebert along with older brother Ken and younger sister Wanda. He grew up in Central and East Texas. In the days of the Texas oil rush, his dad never struck it rich. Wes had a paper route to pay for his own dental care. He also had a plan to achieve a better state of living. He attended SMU on scholarship and paid a nickel to ride the bus there every day.
He spent his summers working in pipeline construction. He rode a motorcycle, because he couldn’t afford a car. After SMU, he was accepted into Caltech to pursue a PhD in mathematics. When the theoretical math became really dense, he decided to settle on a Masters. He was drafted into the Korean War, but not before he landed a job. A Caltech professor told him of a new company looking for people like him – IBM.
After his time in the service, IBM sent him to Boston, Massachusetts. One of his customers was Raytheon Inc. There, he met a young woman, Carol McDermott, who had recently earned a math degree of her own. Irrespective of their geographic and religious differences, they married on Aug 23,1958.
This is where the six of us come in: Judy (Gary) Carter, Evie (George) Wenick, Steve (Judy) Guebert, Janice (also called Bitsy) (Jim) Teixeira, Frederick (called Rick) (Julie) Guebert, and Liddy (nee Elizabeth) (Jon) Heath.
We kids have a favorite story about Wes, told to us by Wes. When he was a young kid, he idolized Captain Marvel. So much that one day, he got a rope and tied one end around his waist. The other end around the railing of the front porch. Uttering the secret word, “SHAZAM!”, he leapt off the porch. We are forever thankful he tied the rope around his waist, not his neck. Upon reflection we have decided our dad WAS Captain Marvel. He possessed the “Gifts Of The Gods” whose names make the secret word:
Solomon
He had the wisdom of Solomon. Was there anything he didn’t know? Usually not, but if there was doubt, he had the World’s Largest Dictionary in his office. And all of his and Carol’s college books, which were our “encyclopedia.”
Hercules: He was Hercules around our home, fixing plumbing, building things out of wood, and most importantly, “Daddy always gets his bug!”
Atlas
He had the stamina of Atlas . Our home was the world he held on his shoulders. Actually, two homes. Our parents bought a small beachside house in Madison, Connecticut. It was far superior to summer camps in Stamford, Connecticut.
Zeus
Power. He was a patient teacher to his family and to others (he taught seniors how too use computers at SEL) (what is SEL?) (Seniors Enriched Learning) but could be an impatient man. He was infinitely stubborn yet learned to graciously accept help as his health declined. He was beloved at The Oaks, where he lived his last two years, showing appreciation and a great sense of humor.
Achilles
The warrior with the soft spot. There were times, many times, when we kids did something goofy. Wes would laugh. We would laugh. He would laugh harder. We would laugh harder. And then, “Daddy’s turning red!” (“I thought I heard Freddie calling Fritz!”)
Mercury
Known for speed. But Mercury recalls Wes’ fascination with astronomy and space travel. The 60s, 70s and 80s were full of America reaching for the stars. It seems Wes was waiting and hoping. We grew up with Star Trek, first runs included!
We need to make one addition to the list – Neptune? Starting with a styrofoam tub with a sunflower sail in Madison CT, he bought us boats. Sail boats. When our family moved to Atlanta, we became members of the Atlanta Yacht Club. It is a small sailing club on Lake Allatoona where weekend sailors race each. He bought us one, a Snipe. We all learned to sail. In 1982 he was elected Commodore of the AYC. In 2020, son Steve was elected commodore. And the next generation, and the one after that most likely, learned to sail. And had the best time – wayyyyyy better than any summer camp.
SHAZAM. He took care of everything. We all went to college (on gifted IBM stock). We all had a car to drive when we hit 16: the Dodge Dart, the Audi, and what kind of car was White Kitty? He was a little taken aback when it was time to finance weddings, but soon figured out the best way to marry off four daughters (all of us would at some time regret not taking him up on his offer: $5000.00 and a ladder).
When Carol’s dementia started to get bad, he told us “time for Assisted Living – now!”. And through her decline, he was always there. For her part, as she became less and less aware of where or who she was, she would ask for him. “Your father,” “Papa,” “Gridley” ( a nickname from years ago) – if he was there, she knew all was well.
It was strange when we started to take care of him. When he could no longer find the college lectures on the internet or finish the sudoku puzzles. But he never gave up. He was going to read the Dick Francis books, find the Braves game, walk down the hallway by himself.
That was the hardest time for me. Captain Marvel needed assistance. How could that be? But then I found in myself the qualities he had always exhibited to us – wisdom, strength, persistence, leadership, tenderness and curiosity. And when he passed, quietly and seemingly on purpose, I whispered his secret word, “Shazam”!