Joel Ogden McGuinn

Joel Ogden McGuinn, at age 88, and approaching his 65 wedding anniversary, passed away peacefully at home Tuesday June 12, 2012. Joel served in the U.S. Navy during WWII from 1943 until 1946, where he was based in the South Pacific. After the war, Joel attended Tuskegee University and was a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Joel was an Honor Roll student and graduated in 1949 with a BA degree in Commercial Industries.

While attending Tuskegee, Joel met his wife, Opal G. Anderson. They lived in Louisiana, Texas and settled in Los Angeles, CA. where they raised their two sons. Upon retirement, Joel and Opal moved to Bellingham, WA to be closer to family. He is survived by his wife Opal, sons Gregory (Denyse) and Tony (Karen), and grandsons, Maxwell and Marcus.

Joel worked for the Missile & Space Systems Division at Douglas Aircraft Company which then became McDonnell Douglas. Later in his career he became a teacher and retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he taught math and electronics for 18 years. He received many recognition awards for his dedicated service as a teacher. Among his accomplishments was the writing of a text book, “Electronic Fundamentals”.

During his younger years, he belonged to a sportsmen’s club, and enjoyed pheasant hunting and offshore fishing. As his family grew, he enjoyed camping in Yosemite National Park, Oregon, Washington and Western Canada.

Joel and his wife enjoyed traveling around the world. They visited many countries and continents including the Caribbean, Soviet Union, China, Egypt, Israel, Greece, and throughout Europe.

His favorite piece of advice to a long and happy marriage was the simple response, “Yes, dear!”

Joel was a loving husband, father and grandfather that will be truly missed.

A graveside service will be held June 21, 1:00 PM, at Bayview Cemetery, Bellingham, WA at the Veterans Memorial Wall.