David P. Guse

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of David “Dave” Patrick Guse on March 24, 2025, at the age of 72. He was surrounded by his daughter, Maren Guse Powell, and son-in-law, James Powell.

His wife, Patricia “Pat” Pigott Guse, preceded him in death. Dave and Pat will be remembered for their love and utter adoration for each other until and beyond her passing in 1999. Dave held moments with Pat and Maren closest to his heart.

Dave was the son of David Earl Guse and Shirley Wilberg Guse. In addition to his daughter and son-in-law, he is survived by his siblings Carol Buskill (Joe), Jeff Guse (Nancy), and Mike Guse (Susan), nieces and nephews, and several sisters- and brothers-in-law.

Dave cherished his loving friend, Mila Breitenbach, her children, Matt, Susan, and Doug, as well as her mother, Cissy.

Dave was born on July 7, 1952, in Richland Center, WI. He grew up in Madison, WI, and Jacksonville, IL. He was a successful competitive swimmer and relished his time on the swim team. Dave also had a knack for football, golf, and the trumpet. Whether he was lifeguarding, tinkering with his Erector Set, test-riding the locally manufactured Ferris wheels and Scramblers, or becoming a Green Bay Packers fan, Dave knew how to have a good time. He attended Orchard Ridge and James Madison Memorial High Schools before graduating from Jacksonville High School in 1970. Dave and Pat were high school sweethearts and married on August 18, 1973, at the Grace Methodist Church in Jacksonville, IL. They enjoyed years of adventures together.

Dave attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering in 1974 and 1975. He enjoyed living with friends in a co-op, listening to vinyl records, working as an usher at Assembly Hall, reading what he called “brain-rot science fiction,” and traveling and sometimes hitchhiking to visit Pat, who attended nearby Illinois State University.

His career in civil engineering took him from warehouse and apartment rooftops to nuclear plants and across the country. Dave and Pat moved frequently and kept track of their 18 addresses, making light of being “on the road again.” Dave had special stories from each—line dancing in cowboy boots in Fort Worth, TX, eating at his favorite Greek restaurant in Chicago, IL, picking corn from the neighbor’s farm in Davenport, IA, admiring the rockets in Huntsville, AL, and dining with friends in gourmet cooking groups.

In 1990, Dave, Pat, and Maren put down roots in Shaker Heights, OH. Dave spent many years at Middough Engineers in Cleveland, but his true passions extended beyond his work. He loved spending time with family, watching Maren grow up, and tending to his gardens. A lifelong bookworm, he was rarely seen without a book in hand. Somewhere along the way, he became a Cleveland Guardians and Browns fan—because, if nothing else, it was entertaining. Dave fully embraced life in Shaker Heights, simply enjoying the everyday moments.

Upon meeting someone new, Dave was often greeted with the familiar phrase, “Oh, you’re Pat’s husband!” While Pat paved her own way in the community and at home, Dave was always supportive and engaged with her many interests. When she taught at Boulevard Elementary School, he often surprised her and the kindergarten teachers with coffee to provide a boost on the chaotic days. When she was a Girl Scout troop leader, he helped organize the camping trips and always ordered more than his fair share of cookies. When she raised show dogs, he helped care for the dogs. When she developed an enthusiasm for all cow-themed things, he always indulged it—even helping to hang cow-patterned wallpaper in the kitchen.

Dave was Maren's wonderful and beloved father. He loved driving his bright yellow Mustang around town packed with her friends after school and never hesitated to let her drive it. Dave embraced Maren’s interests—attending band concerts and ballet recitals, coaching softball, caring for and growing to adore her cats, indulging her love for photography, sharing music and vinyl records, sending her to Syracuse University, appreciating that she found an incredible partner, and speaking at her wedding. Dave also encouraged her to travel and have her own adventures. He was proud—and humored—that he taught Maren how to be an adventurous eater at a young age, often retelling the story of how she ordered garlic mussels and Alaskan king crab legs when she was just 8 years old. And he always made dinner—even an off-season Thanksgiving dinner upon request.

Dining out and cooking was always an adventure for Dave. Whenever he traveled for work, he made sure to find a local “greasy spoon.” He was known to order on the wild side—like lutefisk, livers, and escargot. Dave’s specialties included chocolate chip and burnt butter cookies, lefse, minestrone soup, green bean casserole, “banging chicken,” stir-fry, mincemeat pie, and Manhattan cocktails. To our knowledge, he somehow only caught the kitchen on fire once—making saganaki.

If you knew Dave, you knew how much he loved sharing his stories—no matter how many times you may have already heard them! Many of his favorites were about traveling. He found the views in nature marvelous, especially while backpacking and camping in the Tetons, Badlands, Rocky Mountains, and the Outer Banks. Dave also loved scuba diving and often recounted a special trip to Bonaire. In his later years, Dave traveled to Canada, England, France, Italy, Mexico, and Norway—including the Wilberg family farm. He thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing at Guse and Pigott family reunions, checking in on the family farm on Guse Road in Wisconsin, and celebrating family holidays in Jacksonville.

Anytime Dave had the chance, he’d “find the ocean,” pause to take in the sunset, the stars, the Milky Way, or engineering marvels—like the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Stonehenge, the Hoover Dam, ancient Viking ships, and generally any concrete structure (as he often noted, designing with concrete is far more complex than it seems!). In the end, he soaked in the wonders across 48 U.S. states and more than 10 countries.

Dave treasured time with Mila and her family—cooking dinner on Friday nights, going out on the town, and celebrating holidays and milestones with them. He especially enjoyed going for joyrides in his Mustang with Mila, with the top down. Dave loved the Breitenbach family.

Those who knew Dave will remember his deep love and support for his family, kindness, laid-back nature, adventurous spirit, ability to see beauty in the seemingly simple, fascination with engineering, cooking, goofiness, telling of his stories, and always being there. It was said best in the days after his passing: “he was the epitome of a good man.”

His final resting place will be in the Jacksonville Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, IL.

The family requests that any favorite memories, photos, or videos be sent to DavidGuseMemorial@gmail.com.

The family prefers that those who wish may make memorial gifts in his name to The Shaker Schools Foundation to support the Patricia and David Guse Early Childhood Fund (15600 Parkland Dr., Shaker Hts., OH, 44120), The Shaker Heights Public Library (16500 Van Aken Blvd., Shaker Hts., OH, 44120), an organization of your choosing, or by planting a memorial tree.