Richard Dana Guettler

Richard Dana "Dick" Guettler age 85 died peacefully at the home he shared with his wife Judy in Denver, Colorado on Saturday December 16, 2023.

Dick was born on July 1, 1938 in Kansas City, Missouri to his loving parents William Dana Guettler and Ruth Leone Palmer Guettler.

Dick had one younger brother William Robert "Bill" Guettler born on May 2, 1942. They spent their childhood in Kansas City, Missouri until 1955 when their family moved to South Gate, California. Dick graduated from South Gate High School in 1956 and joined the US Air Force in March 1957. Dick married Janet Hill on June 1, 1957. During their marriage they had three beautiful daughters, Kathleen, Deborah and Barbara.

Dick was honorably discharged from the US Air Force on July 23, 1960 and then went to work for North American Rockwell and proudly worked on the Apollo and Space Shuttle Projects. He was a Project Manager in Scheduling when he retired from Rockwell (now Boeing) after 33 years of dedicated service.   

Dick married his second wife Judith "Judy" Wittenborn on November 24, 1967. With this marriage Dick gained a fourth daughter, Susan and subsequently adopted her. After spending many years together Dick and Judy parted ways but remained close friends and continued to share many family holidays and other events over the years. They remarried on July 25, 2019 and spent the last four years of Dick's life together at their home in Denver, Colorado.

Dick was preceded in death by his father William Dana "Bill" Guettler on November 19, 1988 and his mother Ruth Leone Guettler on May 24, 2021.

Dick is survived by his wife Judy Guettler of Denver,Colorado, his brother William "Bill" (Barbara) Guettler of Whittier, California, his four daughters; Kathleen "Kathy" (Chris) Rowe of Portland, Oregon, Susan "Sue" (Dan) Carraher of Denver, Colorado, Deborah "Debbie" Guettler of Rochester, Minnesota, and Barbara LaVey (Forrest Farrar) of Montara, California. Dick is also survived by his six Grandchildren: Christopher Rowe (Jennifer O'Hara), Alicia Rowe (Michael McNamara), Daniel Carraher (Jenn Horst), Nicole Carraher, Matthew Munn, and David LaVey (Karrie Stafford), And his eight Great-Grandchildren:
Eloise McNamara, Madison and Charlotte O'Hara, Nora and Cade Carraher, Dorian Munn, Elora and Evan LaVey.

Dick loved everything outdoors! One of his favorite things to do was camp and ride dirt bikes with his friends and family, especially in Anza Borrego, California. Dick enjoyed boating, fishing, taking long road trips or just going for a drive in "God's Country". He liked tinkering in his garage on his motorcycles, trucks, or cars especially his beloved Austin Healy. He preferred being outdoors even if it was just sitting on his patio in the backyard enjoying a cold beer or a "perfect" Manhattan. He cherished his time spent making memories with his family and friends. If Dick wasn't enjoying the great outdoors he was inside watching one of his favorite Sports teams, Gunsmoke or Home Town which is set in Laurel, Mississippi and brought back nostalgic memories of his time spent living on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

Dick was a great friend to many and was always willing to lend a sympathetic ear, or tell you a hard truth you probably didn't want to hear but needed to and he was always willing to help anyone who was truly in need. Dick was greatly loved and will be deeply missed by his family and many friends.

Dick's family wants to thank Namaste Hospice, Brightstar Care, and Adventures in Elder Care for compassionately assisting Judy in caring for Dick.

Richard's service will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time. Click Here to view the service.