Edward Sims Guerry passed away March 9, 2011 at his home in Artesia. Services will be held Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 2:00 P.M. at the Artesia United Methodist Church, with Rev. Curtis Bray officiating. Burial will follow at the Artesia Cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday, March 11, 2011 from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbus. Mr. Guerry was born in Artesia March 30, 1922, the son of Dr. Newton D. and Mamie Watson Guerry. He graduated from Artesia High School and attended Holmes Junior College afterwards. In October 1942, he enlisted in the U. S. Army and went on to serve as a C-47 pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corp in the European Theater during the final year of World War II. One of his most honored missions as an Army Air Corp pilot was to serve in the refueling squadron that supplied fuel to General George Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. At the conclusion of World War II, he continued serving in the Army Air Corp during the European occupation and was honorably discharged in September 1946 having attained the rank of First Lieutenant. After his service to his country in the military, Mr. Guerry returned home and enrolled at Mississippi State College (Mississippi State University), where in 1949 he graduated with a degree in agronomy. He worked for a short period of time with the Mississippi Agricultural Farm Experiment Stations before going to work for Cokers Pedigreed Seed Company, where he would spend more than three decades of his career. He retired in 1985, at which time he assumed the position of full time husband, father and grandfather; a role which he honorably fulfilled throughout the remainder of his life. Ed, as he was known to all who knew him, was first and foremost a devoted Christian, a commitment that was taught to him from birth by his mother and father. For over four decades he was a devoted charter member of and servant to the First Independent Methodist Church in Macon, MS. While his lifelong accomplishments are many, it was his hope that all his friends and family remember that, above all else, he loved his God. Mr. Guerry is survived by his wife, Sara Frances Guerry of Artesia; daughter Sara E. Peggy Guerry of Saltillo; son Edward S. Guerry, Jr. of Macon; daughter Virginia K. Rampley of Niceville, FL; son Mansel C. Guerry (Kate) of Canton; and his five cherished grandchildren, Chris, Brian, Thomas, Scott and Kathryn. He is predeceased by his parents, brothers John Watson Guerry and William Walker Guerry, and son-in-law David M. Rampley. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to the First Independent Methodist Church in Macon, the Artesia United Methodist Church, or the American Cancer Society.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Edward Sims Guerry Sr., please visit our flower store.
