Maurice H "Nick" Guay

Maurice H. (“Nick”) Guay was a son of the North Country. He was born August 10, 1939, to Myrtle (nee Relation) and Maurice J. Guay. He was the eldest of four boys, two of whom (James and Gaylord) survive him.
At the tender age of 17 Nick enlisted in the U. S. Army and made a career of it. He rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4, the highest available in his specialty. Most of his military time was spent overseas. He loved Germany, where he spent many years. He also spent time in Turkey, Japan, and South Korea. He received several awards, notably the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. By the time he retired (and for several years before), Nick was widely regarded in the Intelligence Community as top in his field.
Nick later went to work for the Department of Defense—same job, different clothes. He spent that time (1982-1995) in Germany (of course) and England.
After he retired the second time, he returned to the North Country. Not one to be idle, Nick worked for Bombardier Transport for several years, building the Acela high-speed trains.
Nick was married twice. He has one daughter, Raphael, surviving him from his first union. A son, Mitchell, pre-deceased him.
He married Janeen Drake in February 1982. They had three children, David, Rebecca, and Theresa. They all survive him and he was proud of all of them.
Others related to Nick and surviving him are his brothers’ families, Mae and Abby (James) and Carol and Shauna (Gaylord/Pep). He is also survived by numerous cousins, aunts, maybe even an uncle or two (lost the scorecard for keeping track).
Nick had a lot of interests and hobbies. He kept bees for awhile and wanted to do it again. He talked of maple sugaring. He was an excellent mechanic for most of his life. He was a fan of Formula 1 racing. He was an avid World War II historian. And he loved cats.
Nick liked to talk, as long as it wasn’t about “mushy” stuff. He refused to sign a card if he didn’t agree with the verbiage, sometimes driving family members slightly mad.
He was stubborn and rarely very tactful. But he was loyal, loved to teach, and helped many people—gender and race being unimportant. He even—gasp!—included Navy and Air Force personnel.
Nick finally succumbed to cancer April 17th, after battling it, Covid-19, and infections for the last 18 months. He was surrounded by his family and under both their care and that of Hospice of the North Country.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hospice of the North Country or Elmore SPCA.
Viewing hours are Thursday, 10-12, with prayers afterwards. Burial is at St. Louis of France Cemetery.