Obituary for William Francis Guyan

William Francis Guyan, Sr. (Bill) 85, of Princeton, Iowa passed away unexpectedly on Monday December 29, 2008. A Mass of Christian Burial was held in LeClaire, IA on January 3, 2009. On June 5, 2009 Mr. Guyan was inurned at Arlington National Cemetery with Military Honors. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; a son, William F. Guyan, Jr. (Vicki) of Gualala, California; two daughters, Georganne Guyan-Bender (Robert) of Algonquin, Illinois, and Betsy Guyan Donnelly (John) of Webster, New York. Also surviving are his sister, Elizabeth Guyan Wallace of Amsterdam, New York, and six grandchildren; Lance and Owen Guyan; Kathleen and John Guyan Bender; and Jack and Patrick Donnelly. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 40 years, Bette Anne, and his parents. Mr. Guyan was born May 16, 1923, in Watervliet, New York to Raymond and Veronica Guyan. He fought for his country in WWII serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He was a decorated airman who proudly served with the 572nd Bombardment Squadron, 391st Group. He was Staff Sergeant working as a tail gunner on a B-26 Martin Marauder during the air offensive in Ardennes, Central Europe, Normandy, Rhineland and Northern France. Following the war, Mr. Guyan attended Villanova University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics. He met and married Bette Anne Dugan while at Villanova. They were married until her death in 1987. For most of his career Mr. Guyan was National Sales Manager for the James O. Welch Candy Company, which in later years became a subsidiary of Nabisco. He also held the positions of Executive Vice President of Merckens Chocolate Company, and National Sales Manager for Nabisco until his retirement. He married Dorothy Biedermann Brandt on July 29, 2006, in LeClaire, Iowa.