I wish I told him how proud I am of him.

At my house on Stanley Ave, which was next door to Willie, we had two kumquat trees at opposite sides of a large backyard with a pool. Wrist rocket style sling shots with surgical tubing were the weapon of choice and the kumquat trees served as a never ending supply of ammunition. We would usually break up into teams of two and fire on each other with the kumquats. These kumquats were not aerodynamic and moved through the air more like a knuckle-ball pitch in baseball. The kumquat would move randomly side to side or curve but hardly ever went straight. Hitting the other team was a challenge and somewhat random. We would run up to the kumquat tree usually under cover fire from our teammate to get more ammo usually pulling out our T-shirt and holding up the bottom hem to make a pouch then loading as many kumquats as we could get into the pouch. Running and ducking for cover while firing the wrist rocket were the main skills you needed. When you got hit it would really hurt and leave a big round welt on your skin that would last sometimes for days.

There was one day in particular when we thought it would be a good idea to have a kumquat war with one team in the family room and the other team outside in the backyard. Of course my parents were not home!!! Obviously. We used the sliding glass door as a shield and would open it just long enough to fire out. Guy and I were inside and Willie and I think my brother Matt were in the backyard. Either Guy or I would crack the sliding door open and the other one would shoot. Well, the kumquats started flying in both directions. Kumquats splatting on the sliding glass door and flying past Willie and Matt with occasional hits and the resultant expletives associated with getting hit. Every once in a while Willie's team would fire a kumquat through the crack in the sliding glass door and kumquat would splat on the family room wall behind the TV. Once during this game I hit Willie in the forehead with a kumquat and he got so mad and accused me of aiming for the head. Like I said before, these things were like knuckle-balls and there was no real aiming involved. In any case, Willie tracked me down and fired a point blank shot in my stomach in retaliation which left a huge welt that was there for at least a week. After this kumquat war there was a ton of clean up with all the splats on the sliding door and family room wall. I don't think my Mom ever found out about it as Guy was an excellent window washer.

There were many battles like this one and we had such a good time shooting those kumquats at each other.

I remember first meeting you at John Barrett Junior High (Middle School) and made a bond over liking to ski. I thought I was this big skier and never knew any other people who skied at the time. You were very likable, humble, happy and reserved. We got along right away and a lifelong friendship began. You lived on the newer side of Carmichael but close enough as we rode our bikes everywhere. You were happy just listening to music and rolling with most things. You did things I never did like playing the drums (which was an unfulfilled dream of mine) being in the Boy Scouts and being a member of a country club. At that time you had a black ski boat. I remember it had fins which I thought was pretty unique. You had a sweet dog named Taryeton when we first met and the house on Prospect was always great place to visit.

We finally got to ski together. You and Kym quietly kicked my but all the way around Slide Mountain but never gloated or bragged. I admired your skills and always aspired to keep up with you. We slept at the Tamarack Lodge and were always looking for some adventure at night despite all the adults present. Your family always skied all day long. It was the Kelley way.

John Schimandle moved next door to me and joined our close knit friendship shortly after. It seems amazing but John told me recently that we have been friends for over 50 years. 

Our neighborhood offered many opportunities for adventure for young boys. The American River offered the greatest play land for our antics. We floated on inner tubes mastering the San Juan rapids did acrobats from rope swings and built innovating devices (mostly from the creation of the Schimandle’s as their IQ’s were much higher than mine). However I had some input on the famous Zing Wire and our classic home movie called “Summer of 72” as well as the kumquat wars with the wrist rockets. 

Eighth came and the parties began. We would sneak out at night and meet some neighborhood girls then make it home, most times undetected but not every time.

High school came and since we went to different schools we didn’t hang as much but when we did we were always the same as though we always were together, great friends. You started kicking my butt in ping pong hard as I tried to win, I never could beat you.

I moved away for a couple of years but when I returned we reconnected again always the same Guy I knew and loved.

In our 20’s I went to American River College - I was an aspiring filmmaker so I recruited you as one of my actors for an assignment in film class. 

I was always shooting candid shots of you with my camera which you didn’t like except for one time.

Chute 75

One day I came into my house and he was watching a movie I made of him on Chute 75 at Squaw Valley. It was a beautiful short clip of him blasting down the run over bumps catching air. He turned to me and said we got to make another ski movie basically because he liked what he saw. Guy was a wonderful skier.

Uncle Jim’s Mustang 390

When we were about 17 every once in a while I got to use my uncle's car. He had this great 69 Mustang with a huge engine in it. Guy and I would jump in and pop in his eight track tape to play Yes’s anthem called Roundabout and when it hit a certain part I would slam down the gas pedal and burn rubber up Prospect drive. We laughed and marveled at the power of this car.

He always remembered that feeling so much so that just a year or two ago he went to a place to buy one. I remember him calling me and saying he was going to get a Mustang.

His love for the past filled his later years in life.

Guys Love for Music

Guy had the best LP collection of anyone I knew. He was always playing something new. He always seemed to know about the latest music groups before anyone else.I don’t know how he was informed. He turned me on to Queen and Kansas, as well as several others. He appreciated great sound and always had the best sound system of of of his friends.

Music Class

In eighth grade Guy used to invite me in to his music class at our junior high school or middle school as it has been rebranded. He played the drums but the music teacher wasn’t around sometimes so I would go in and listen to them practice. It must have been after school. I loved when they played the theme from Hawaii 5-0 and one time he let me take over which was a thrill for me.

I have so many fond memories but over the years most have fallen away. You were the one who always had the excellent recall. You would recite many of these stories whenever we talked. Sometimes to my dismay...

Guy you were my oldest and dearest friend. I always loved you like a brother. I'm honored to have known you. I will miss you deeply... 

Your lifelong friend,

Willie Karnofsky

6/30/19

The photos are really fantastic - Guy is so photogenic!   I think back to Guy's spirit of generosity - he always included us in outings and hanging out together at the house.  He was the first person - who on a particular hell day in Squaw - to tell me that despite it not making any sense, the more pressure I applied to the front of my skis, the slower I would go - helped tremendously, LOL!  When we needed some help on the deck, Guy came over and built a monument to all decks that will last generations.  He was hard working with a commitment to execution, and with a talented eye for detail and design.  His laugh was easy - his reverence for the outdoors, phenomenal.  It was clear he adored his family - I think they are also all extra special so I really appreciated this in him.  And now, I am thankful to have had the great opportunity, to have known him.   Blessings to Guy and All!  Much Love, Natalie  

I stole the random thoughts line from Don. I hope he doesn't mind.

Gunga Ding Wars in the mineral camp ground creek. Breaking into the kitchen at the summer camp next to the camp ground. Shuffle board in the Mineral bar. Getting kicked out of the Mineral bar multiple times. Keg of beer in the back of my brother Bill's GMC pickup truck. Burying said keg of beer at the top of the road in Lassen Park. Not sure if we got busted by the rangers or not but we were sure on the lookout for them. Hiking the peak and skiing down. Hiking the ridge and skiing the canyon to the meadow. Hiking to Bumpass Hell to see the boiling mud pots. The very stinky sulfur works with all the steam billowing out. Downhill bike riding from the top of the road to the main hwy. Party in the parking lot at the top of the road. Frozen lakes. Waiting for the road to open. Ski racing. Lots of partying. Someone sleeping with scraps of fabric because they grabbed the wrong stuff bag at home. Almost falling in the firepit because we were so high on whatever.

Guy's Family has an annual family camping trip to hike and ski Mt. Lassen with the Tamarack Ski Club. I was invited for the first time in the early summer of 1970 and we camped at the mineral camp ground. There were a bunch of kids our age and we played in the creek that went through the campground. There was this long stringy algae that grew in the creek and we all called the algae "Gunga Ding". You would rip off a long strand of the Gunga Ding, swing it around over your head and then throw it at someone in the group trying to wrap it around them like a bola. If you were lucky then it would wrap around their head and they couldn't see. It was not the easiest thing to get off. We had a ton of fun playing that game for hours.

My dad used to have a bag for all of his ski gear, it was a burgundy red leather bag. He had over 18 old passes tied and tangled to this thing. I guess this pass picture didn't make the cut.

Now I need to hunt down those passes...

What I admired about Guy: He stuck up for his friends. He would speak up if a friend was getting more than his share of crap. He encouraged his friends when they were struggling. He was always ready for an adventure. I can't count the times we just packed our backpack and went to the freeway to hitchhike somewhere...Santa Barbara, Death Valley, Florence (Oregon), the Sierras, or wherever. Guy had an easy laugh. But, he was always late, last to be ready. We all gave him a hard time about that. Guy drove his parents 1961 Continental in reverse so fast the drive shaft crystallized. His parents never knew the true story. I still can't figure out how he could keep a Marlboro from falling out of his mouth with just one string of spit keeping it attached. We used to tie a ski rope to the rear bumper of his VW and cruise the neighborhood at 40 mph on skateboards. Until Guy's wheel melted and separated from the wheel bearings. I think he still had asphalt in his knee from that. Guy and some of us rented a cabin at Donner Lake for a winter. That was the "Endless Winter" - Zuzus, friends, and skiing.  

Guy and I finished working for a friend of Guy Sr's. The friend was opening a string of gas stations. He offered Guy and I our own stations to manage after we finished the rehab of old abandoned stations. Guy and I discussed...declined...took our pay and headed to old Mexico. We were in Guy's 1969 VW bug. Crossed near an Arizona town called "Why." We assumed it was named that because no one could figure out "Why" the town was there. The border guard was napping and we cruised on through. Drove the mainland along the Sea of Cortez until we found a little town called Topolobampo. Slept on the airstrip where they filmed Catch 22. Bought some fake turquoise jewelry. Laid in the sun till there wasn't any. I made the mistake of eating a can of stuffed jalapenos. I should have known better. The label had a Mexican in a sombrero crying....it was HOT! Sick of beer - I drank the tap water. wow. Just wow. I had never seen Guy laugh so hard. Every 15 minutes I was trying to make it to some ocotillo to let 'er rip. Guy was rolling on the ground and making fun. Still....it was only a distraction. We had a blast!