Guilford L. Mack Jr. Obituary (1941

Guilford L. Mack Jr. (81), of Phelps, NY died Tuesday, April 12, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. Guilford was born March 20, 1941 in Syracuse to the late Guilford and Dorothy Lee Mack Sr. Guil earned a degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University in 1965, and that same year, married the love of his life, Beth Bigelow. In 1966, Guil joined the US Coast Guard and was deployed to Vietnam and several other countries until returning home in 1969. He worked several jobs until 1980 when he decided to start his own model railroad business, Tiger Valley Models. The family broke with tradition, with Beth working full-time, while Guil stayed home to raise their three children and run his business and their small farm. Guil was especially proud of the fact that he and Beth built their octagon house from the ground up, and improved their property over the years, building a barn, and adding six solar arrays and a wind turbine. Guil was also well-known among local hobbyists for his extensive and unrivaled HO Scale model railroad setup in his basement. He was an avid rail fan with thousands of train pictures from local railroads and across the country. The most important things to Guil were his family and his many animals. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Beth Mack, their daughter Allison (Jeffrey) Caves, son Guilford (Melissa) Mack III, daughter Sherradyn (Ryan Burdick) Mack, and grandchildren, Jonathan and Sophie Caves, Guilford IV, Harrison, and Marie Mack, Violet and Porter Burdick, his sister, Dorothy Lee Mack, his niece, Emily Dalton, and nephews, Robert and David Lambert. The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staff and volunteers of the House of John in Clifton Springs. Friends may call from 11am to 1pm on Saturday, April 23rd at Cheney Funeral Home, 70 Main St., Phelps, NY 14532. It is requested that masks please be worn. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The House of John, 14 Spring St., Clifton Springs, NY 14432 or to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Historical Society, PO Box 200, Manchester, NY 14504. Calling Hours 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Saturday, April 23, 2022 Cheney Funeral Home 70 Main Street Phelps, New York, United States 14532