Obituary of Arvy Albin Geurin

Arvy Albin Geurin - December 22, 1925 - July 24, 2012 The world became a little darker & the night sky gained a bright & shining star in the early morning of July 24. Arvy Albin Geurin, of Capitola, departed this earth. He passed away peacefully at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, after a 10 year battle with COPD. It has been said of Arvy that he never met a stranger, only friends yet to know. Arvy was born in Hot Springs, AK, to Hilbert Haywood & Willie Octavia Smith Geurin. Although he joked about being an "Arkie," Arvy was a Californian, having been here since he was two. He was 16 & working at his uncle's bakery in Bakersfield when Pearl Harbor was bombed & his life was changed forever. He followed his brother & cousin into the service, & joined the US Navy. He was so proud of his time in the Navy & serving our country in WWII .He served aboard the USS NAPA/APA 157 from the time of its commission in Astoria, OR, to the end of WWII. He served as a radioman & landed with the Marines on Iwo Jima. In 2009, Walking Through Fire: An Iwo Jima Survivor's Remembrance, was published, detailing his life & focusing on his time during World War II. After the war, he received his pilot's license from Bakersfield Community College. He also became a diesel mechanic & was a member of the IAM. Later, he owned & drove water trucks. After the construction business ended, he worked for World Vision US, from where he eventually retired. After retiring, he & his wife moved to Capitola where they have resided ever since. After being diagnosed with COPD, he joined the BBBBs (Barely Breathing Brunch Bunch) at the Frederick St. Pulmonary Rehab. He is survived by his wife, Gale Wilhelmina & their "Brady Bunch" family; his son, Scott Geurin & his wife Juanita & their two children, Scott Jr. & Roxanne of Watsonville; his son Mark Geurin of Watsonville; his daughter Charlotte Thornbrugh & her husband Guy & their two children, Lance & Chance of Corralitos; his daughter Charlynne Donahue-Muse & her husband Mike & her son Ash Donahue of Santa Cruz; his daughter Debbie Sanchez & her four children. He is remembered with love by Charles Donahue of Montclair & Charlene Donahue-Lawler of AZ. He will also be fondly remembered to so many as "Grandpa". To him, family was more than blood-relations, & family meant the world to him. Arvy was the ultimate "listening ear". He was there for everyone, & his honesty is what made him special. If you were troubled, he would say "Get that monkey off your back." In other words, live without regret. Arvy Albin Geurin, you are already missed by so many, but you will live in the heart of all, for while the body dies, love lives on in memory. Services will be held Aug 3rd at Oakwood Memorial in Santa Cruz. A viewing will be held at 10AM, chapel services begin at 1PM, & the Military Honors burial thereafter. A reception will follow at 750 Bay Ave., Capitola.