Thomas H. Guyer

Thomas H. Guyer, 68, passed away Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, at the Village at Morrisons Cove, Martinsburg, following an extended and courageous battle with Huntington’s disease.

He was born May 16, 1955, in Roaring Spring on May 16, 1955, a son of Robert W. and Eris I. (Shaw) Guyer.

Tom was a 1973 graduate of Central High School, Martinsburg, where he wrestled and played baseball. He earned a B.S. degree in Ceramic Science from Penn State in 1977, after which he joined Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS). Placed in Brigham City, Utah, he served at the Intermountain Indian School under the direction of Reverend Eldon Coffman.

Moving back to PA when his service year ended, he worked briefly for Pittsburgh Corning. Still intrigued by the West, he returned to Utah, settling in Salt Lake City for over 30 years. He made a career of taxi and shuttle van driving, at one point owning five cabs. An advocate of recycling, Tom also worked as a used book dealer with area universities.

His love of all things outdoors often found him on Utah’s premier ski slopes, hiking and biking trails, and other parts of nature’s vast countryside. When he wasn’t walking for Habitat with Humanity with President Jimmy Carter, you might find him bicycling across open spaces. His highlight bicycle trip was a four-week trek from Salt Lake City to the New Jersey shore.

With travel and adventure in mind, he knew off-the-beaten-path trails and scenic views in Utah’s impressive National Parks. Fascinated by the enormity of western terrain, Tom also loved visiting Yellowstone National Park. In another adventure he spent a month exploring Europe with his best friend Al Pacheco, seeing the crumbled Berlin Wall. He and Al even illegally hopped a California freight train. He nicknamed himself “Nomad” to honor his many wandering exploits, in addition to the fact he was so easygoing.

Tom cared about all of God’s people and creation. For nearly 20 years he volunteered one day a week for Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity and generously rented rooms in his spacious home to college students and fellow cabbies.

Only when his disease progressed did he leave his beloved West, returning to the Cove in 2012 where he could interact more easily with family and friends. His renewed love of Pirate baseball, along with Penn State and Steeler football, found him avidly pursuing those seasons.

Tom leaves behind three sisters: Carol L. Detwiler of San Antonio, Kim D. Wagner of State College, and Sandy K. Caporuscio (Jim) of Martinsburg, as well as six nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by older brother Robert B. and an infant sister.

Tom’s life will be honored on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, with friends received from 9:30 a.m. until the 11:00 a.m. service at Clover Creek Church of the Brethren, rural Martinsburg, where Tom was a life member. Family suggests memorials to Habitat for Humanity, The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA), 505 Eighth Ave., Suite 902, New York, NY 10018, or a charity of your choice.

Arrangements by John K. Bolger Funeral Home Inc., Martinsburg, (www.bolgerfuneralhome.com)