Gregory Marc Guerin

Gregory Marc Guerin passed away peacefully on September 6, 2023, surrounded by his family. He was best known for his gentle spirit, hearty laugh, and being a man of few words. He had a deep passion for golf, photography, theatre, English literature, and WWII.

In recent years, Greg could be spotted at the local library selecting his weekly books, golfing at Eagle Ridge Golf Course, or walking or riding his bike on the levee. He spent innumerable hours on golf courses, and he even traveled to Ireland seven times to golf at some of the most renowned and pristine golf courses in the world. Over the years, Greg managed to capture stunning photos of each golf course, as well as write detailed travel logs of his trips. Much of his photo collection was dedicated to Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and candid photos of his family.

Greg was born in Los Angeles, California, and shortly after, his family moved to Eureka. There, he attended St. Bernard's Academy, where he claims he was often in trouble for talking. He and his family were highly involved in the Catholic Church, where Greg would occasionally participate as an altar boy.

During his childhood, Greg loved to play in the woods and participate in sports. He considered himself extremely competitive. He joined the Boy Scouts, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout.

His earliest job was delivering prescription medications on his bike–rain or shine. Small wonder that on Saturday nights, he enjoyed the perk of driving his boss' car to make deliveries. His next job was as an assistant for the local newspaper.

After high school, Greg worked full-time at the Simpson Plywood Mill, until he attended San Francisco State University-where he got a Masters in English and earned his teaching credential. His first job after college was at Gilroy High School, where he faithfully taught English and Journalism for 34 years. During that time, he and his pupils took pride in running the weekly school newspaper, Free Press, and producing the annual yearbook. In addition, Greg was heavily involved in theatre, so much so that he became the President of a local theatre company, where he was also an actor and director. Greg met his future wife, Marilyn, in a production of West Side Story. Greg was cast as Lt. Schrank, and Marilyn played piano in the band. They married in Gilroy and continued their involvement in local theatre for years.

Greg was a hands-on dad who rarely missed his children's events. He attended all field hockey and soccer games, marching band and punk rock shows, and back-to-school nights-not only taking hundreds of photos, but printing them all out and placing them in albums. He was so proud of all his grandchildren. He beamed when talking about them, and laughed at stories that reminded him of when his own kids were young.

Greg retired from Gilroy High School in 2002, and quickly got a part-time job at Eagle Ridge Golf Course. He truly enjoyed his 18 years as an Eagle Ridge employee-especially cherishing the employee advantage of golfing any time and any day he pleased. Which was a lot. He even managed to get a hole in one. Twice.

Greg had one sibling, Monica, and his parents were Arsene and Phyllis Guerin-all deceased. Greg will be dearly missed by his wife Marilyn; his children Geoff, Molly, Dana; and his grandchildren Caitlin, Jullian, Leilah, Scarlet, and Venice.

We will have a celebration of Greg's life on October 7, 2023, at Mama Mia's Restaurant in Morgan Hill, from 12 noon to 4 pm.

Published in Gilroy Dispatch · September 19, 2023