Edwyn Arthur Guise
January 12, 1949 - November 3, 2022

It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of Ed Guise; beloved husband, father, papa and friend. Ed passed away peacefully at the Chinook Care Centre in Calgary, Alberta on Thursday, November 3, 2022 with his devoted wife, Janet, holding his hand. After a long and valiant fight to recover from the subarachnoid brain hemorrhage he suffered in February 2021, Ed was heartbreakingly defeated by COVID-19.

Ed was born in London, Ontario and as a very young boy moved to the remote Canadian Pacific Railway station house at Zorra, Ontario where his mom, Mary Guise (nee Rusywick), was the station master for several years. He had many cherished memories of his time growing up in Zorra with his beloved mom and grandma, Babci. The closest town, Embro, was 18 kilometers away so, as an only child, Ed learned early in life how to embrace solitude. He spent many hours throwing his baseball against the shed door and often helped Babci in the garden. Ed eagerly looked forward to visits from his mom’s sweetheart, Jack Griffiths, and the times they’d go fishing or take a trip into town. Jack was a constant positive influence and Ed fondly referred to him as his step-dad. Ed’s years at Zorra sparked the beginning of his life-long love of the railway. From an early age, Ed enjoyed helping his mom with the running of the station and as he grew older, he willingly took on more responsible tasks. In his high school years, Ed worked summers for the railway and soon discovered that helping his mom in the station was much easier than the physical labor associated with maintaining track!

After graduating from high school at Woodstock Collegiate Institute in 1968, Ed attended the University of Western Ontario where he majored in psychology. Although he never completed his degree in psychology, it remained a keen interest of Ed’s and was something that influenced his daily interactions with people and sparked many interesting conversations. While in university, Ed continued to work part time at the railway to help pay tuition.

Throughout high school and university Ed had an enthusiastic interest in harness horse racing and travelled to race tracks all over Ontario and the Eastern United States to attend races with his buddies. He left university to follow his dream of being in the racing world and worked for a few years as a horse trainer. It was through horse racing that he met his first wife, Bonnie. They married in 1974 and a year later their daughter, Denise, was born.

The racing life proved difficult for a young family so in 1975 Ed left that world and went to work for the postal service as a mail carrier in London, Ontario. It was during his time as a mail carrier that Ed’s son, John, was born.

In 1977, Ed’s love of trains drew him back to Canadian Pacific Railway where he built a successful career that spanned over 30 years. Ed held various positions based out of different rail offices, starting in London, Ontario, where his youngest daughter, Cheryl was born in 1981. From London, Ed moved to Union Station in Toronto and worked with the Data Capture and Procedures team while living in Georgetown. In this role, Ed spent several years travelling to numerous yard offices across Canada and the United Sates, which contributed to his extensive geographic knowledge. As much as Ed enjoyed this role, he hated leaving his family and was always happy to come home and get back to spoiling the kids. In the early nineties, Ed was promoted to an assistant manager position working out of Toronto yard, which prompted him to move his family to Whitby, Ontario to cut down on his long commute. In 1993, Ed was transferred to Winnipeg, Manitoba where he managed teams in the newly-formed centralized Customer Service department. In 1997, Ed and his family moved to Calgary, Alberta where Ed worked in CP’s Head Office until retiring in 2006. His last ten years with CP were spent as a Service Design Manager helping to develop and maintain CP’s Operating Plan, the framework that outlines the schedule and purpose for every train run on the railway. In this role, Ed also provided business expertise to the information services department on several computer application projects, which is how he came to meet his current wife and soulmate, Janet. Ed retired from CP in December 2006 but was called back several times to consult on various projects due to his specialized knowledge and expertise.

In 2007, Ed purchased an older house in Stavely, Alberta and enjoyed working with his own hands to fix it up the way he wanted. He enjoyed living in Stavely, frequented the Stavely golf course as often as he could and joined the Claresholm Lions Club to help serve the community. In 2009, Ed and Janet began to date and that started many trips back and forth between Stavely and Calgary, where Janet lives. Ed often joked that he could do that drive with his eyes closed and one day he tried to prove that by falling asleep at the wheel. Luckily, it was a quick in and out of the ditch and he was wide awake again.

Ed and Janet married in October 2011 and settled in Calgary. Though Ed was retired, he was supportive of Janet continuing to work and welcomed her home each day with a smile, a hot dinner and an attentive ear. He embraced Janet’s family and selflessly gave his time to help her care for her ailing parents. Ed and Janet enjoyed traveling together and had wonderful experiences in Palm Springs, Mexico, Hawaii, Baltimore, Arizona, Oregon and Nova Scotia. They took several trips to Ontario where Ed enjoyed showing Janet around his old stomping grounds, taking her to beautiful places like Niagara Falls and introducing her to his extended family. Ed enthusiastically encouraged Janet in her hobby of dance and that allowed them to experience places like Nashville, Tennessee; Grapevine, Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Creston, Kelowna and Salmon Arm, BC; Nanaimo and several other places on Vancouver Island. Although their time together was far too short, the strength of their love was undeniable and they cherished every moment they spent with each other.

Ed was an avid hockey fan and loyally supported his favourite team, the Montreal Canadians, no matter how well they were playing. He also loved baseball and became an early fan of the Baltimore Orioles while listening to their games on the radio in Zorra. One of his most enjoyable experiences was getting to watch his Orioles play in their home stadium of Camden Yards. In his younger years, Ed was a member of the Masonic Lodge and although his frequent business travels forced him to stop attending regular meetings, he continued to exemplify the Masonic values every day of his life. Ed loved to travel, camp with his family, hike, play golf and cook. He was a gracious and welcoming host who appreciated sharing meals with family and friends. He loved hot dogs and brownies and relished a relaxing drink of Scotch, no matter the brand.

Ed was an inspiration to everyone who knew him. He was a gentle, kind and caring man, easy-going, patient and generous in every way. His calm, reassuring presence immediately put everyone at ease - he was the epitome of the expression “Steady Eddie”. He was an intelligent, well-read man whose integrity was unquestionable. He could always make us laugh with his quick wit and fantastic sense of humour. He loved to tease, whether it was frequently telling his daughter, Cheryl, that she still owed him that fictitious “twenty bucks” or telling his grandsons he was the real Superman.

Ed’s capacity to love was limitless. He was a loving, dedicated husband - the love of his wife, Janet’s, life. He was a devoted, supportive father – unwavering in his love for Denise, John and Cheryl and always there when they needed him. He was an attentive, doting grandfather (papa) who treasured every minute he spent with his grandsons, no matter what they did – reading, playing games or snuggling on the couch watching a movie. Ed was also a caring step-father and step-grandfather who accepted his step-family with an open and loving heart. He was a trustworthy, fun-loving brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend. He deservedly gained the respect of everyone who worked with him and for him over the years. Ed was and will always be adored by his family, admired by his friends and revered by his co-workers.

Sadly, Ed suffered a very serious brain hemorrhage on Valentine’s Day, 2021 and life changed drastically in a moment. In the final 21 months of his life, Ed fought courageously to recover from his injury and return to his loving family. His strength and will were nothing short of amazing and never faltered. Ed remained his pleasant, friendly self and gained the admiration and love of many of the staff and residents at Chinook Care Centre. Against the odds, Ed recovered to the point where he could once again tell his family he loved them and bestow them with his extraordinary hugs. Ed’s family will be forever grateful for the extra 627 days they had with him. He was a miracle.

Ed/Dad/Papa will be profoundly missed by his wife, Janet; his children, Denise (Shane) Allerdings, John Guise and Cheryl (Stephen) Carlson; his five grandsons (Landon, Logan, William, Anthony and Dustin); Janet’s children, Jeremy Rae, Tiffany Riddell and Chrystal Riddell; three step-grandchildren (Travis, Maddie and Brandon); and mother-in-law, Madelyn Fox. Ed will also be deeply missed by the mother of his children, Bonnie Patterson; his sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews; cousins, extended family members; and many friends. Ed was predeceased by his mother, Mary Guise; step-father, Jack Griffiths; and grandmother, Babci (Anna Rusywick).

Forever in our hearts.
Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure,
You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ed’s memory to Stars Air Ambulance
or the Kids Brain Health Foundation.

To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Ed, please visit www.choicememorial.com.