John Guth

John R. Guth, 83, a resident of Albuquerque since 1962, passed away from Alzheimer's disease on February 21, 2025. He was preceded in death by his high school sweetheart and wife of forty-seven years, Barbara Pees Guth (d. 2008). They were a loving couple since their senior year in high school. Barbara, a former registered nurse, later became a managing editor at UNM Press. John is survived by his son Jason Guth, Ph.D. of Phoenix, AZ and his daughter Sarah Klenner and husband Jeff Klenner in Mebane, NC. John had six grandchildren (Peter, Jill, Josefa, Amy, Kieran, Bradley) and four great-grandchildren (Isabella, Sara, Abraham, and Tucker).

John was born in Allentown, PA to parents Hallet and Virginia Guth. He grew up in various small industrial mill towns in Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York and Kansas, where his father was a plant manager for Lehigh Portland Cement Company. After graduating from high school in Iola, KS in 1958, John attended the University of Kansas and graduated with a BSEE degree in 1962. After graduation he and Barbara moved to Albuquerque where he started working at Sandia National Laboratories and attending UNM, graduating with a MSEE degree in 1964. He worked at Sandia Labs for 52 years, rising to the rank of Deputy Director for Center Operations, Nuclear and Risk Technologies Center, and retiring in 2014.

In retirement, John was active in many groups including the Albuquerque Archeological Society serving as secretary, trustee, and board member for the ASNM Rock Art Council that surveyed and documented petroglyphs all over New Mexico. He loved rock collecting, gun collecting, trains, gardening, and farming in Los Lunas.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 10 am La Vida Llena Chapel on 10501 Lagrima De Oro Road NE Albuquerque, NM 87111. A public visitation will follow at 2 pm at French Funerals - Wyoming on 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87109.