Obituary of Richard Vincent Guizio

Richard Vincent "Yogi" Guizio passed away after a short illness on November 17, 2012 in Salinas, CA. He was 83 years old. Richard was born in Weehawken, New Jersey to Salvatore and Giovanina De Fabio Guizio on September 27, 1929, the youngest of three brothers. Richard was raised in Weehawken where he played soccer and baseball throughout his youth. Being an avid baseball fan he loved the New York Yankees, spending many a summer with his dad and friends cheering them on and eating hot dogs at Yankee stadium. He loved hot dogs so much that they became his favorite lunch. After graduating from Weehawken High School, he joined the United States Coast Guard and went to Florida for basic training. He spent the next 26 years in the Coast Guard. He was stationed from Astoria, Oregon to Staten Island, New York and from Sitka, Alaska to Florida. He had a tour of duty on Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. In addition, he served on the USCG cutter, North Wind, in the Northern Seas. While stationed in Monterey, CA he met his loving wife, Mary De Quincy Lowerison on a blind date. They married a year later on December 20, 1969 in Reno, Nevada. Shortly thereafter, he was transferred to Avila Lighthouse Station, Avila Beach as the officer in charge. Richard, Mary and their ready-made family, Mary's daughter, Marilyn and his son, Gary, enjoyed their time at the Station fishing, hunting for abalone and digging for artifacts from the cliffs below the 1890 Lighthouse. While there, he was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer Second Class and was transferred to Sitka, Alaska, where their daughter, Donna, was born. After two years in Sitka being stationed on the USCG Cutter Clover, Richard decided to retire from the Coast Guard and moved his family back to the `lower 48'. The family moved to Scotts Valley for a year and then bought a home in Live Oak. He was employed by the Santa Cruz School District as a custodian at Santa Cruz High School and Branciforte Middle School for the next ten years before retiring for the second time. However, the wanderlust was hard to give up, so between the ten years at Santa Cruz the family moved to Brookings, Oregon for a year before moving back to Capitola. Richard loved to travel and was an avid history buff, so combining the two, in the ensuing years the family visited almost every state in the Union, except Hawaii, which he had visited four times with the Coast Guard. He was a great father to travel with making sure that everywhere the family stopped for the evening the place had a swimming pool and he always mixed in Theme Parks for the kids between the Historical sights and the museums. For the last 26 years, the family has lived in Soquel, where Richard and Mary continued to spend some of their time traveling through the western states with stopovers in Reno or Tahoe. Richard liked spending time with his brother in law, Dave Toshikian, the instigator of the "poker gang" made up of family and friends, shopping at Nob Hill, so he could talk baseball with the clerks and socializing with friends at the Donut Station. Another favorite past time was spending his afternoons sitting in the sun with his grand "dog", Ginger. He is survived by his beloved wife, Mary, and his wonderful children: Virginia Wald, of Arlington, Washington, Gary (Denise) Guizio of Juneau, Alaska, Marilyn (Scott) Lowerison-Green of LaFayette, Louisiana, Gina Chalcroft of Douglas, Alaska, Gail Evans of Houston, Texas and Donna Guizio of Soquel, CA., five grandchildren: Bridgette Grever, Chaitra (Paul) Evan-Tohill, Marisa, Miranda and Connor Guizio, and his first great grandchild, Oliver Vincent Guizio. In addition, his extended family, Pete and Jeanette De Quincy, Dennis and Susie De Quincy Kehoe, Barbara De Quincy Toshikian and many nieces, nephews and grand nieces, grand nephews, survive him. Richard was predeceased by his parents, his brothers and sisters in law, Carmine and Thelma Guizio, Donald and Bertha Guizio, Elizabeth Sheldon, David Toshikian and his first wife, Grace Chalcroft. A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 19 at 1 p.m. at Santa Cruz Memorial, Mission Chapel, 1927 Ocean Street, Ext. Santa Cruz. Funeral arrangements are by Santa Cruz Memorial. Contributions can be made to Disable American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, or Kentfield Rehabilitation Hospital, Kentfield, CA in Richard's name or to a charity of your choice.