Longtime Peninsula resident Guy S. Thompson passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 20 in Cupertino, California.

Born and raised in Michigan, he was a 1949 graduate of General Motors Institute, and a veteran of the Korean War. Guy settled in Palo Alto with his family in 1953, where he met his future wife, Gayle, on a church ski trip to Dodge Ridge. They married in 1955 and raised their 3 daughters Tracey, Paige, and Bryn in Sunnyvale where they lived for 60 years.

Guy was the Sales Manager for Hatch Chevrolet in Mountain View for over a decade when he took a chance in 1967 to start Thompson Toyota in Redwood City, one of the earliest Toyota dealerships in the US. During his 25 years with Toyota, Guy served on the Board of Directors for American International Auto Dealers Association, National Auto Dealers Association and Northern California Motor Car Dealers Association, was the recipient of the Dealer of Distinction Award and nearly a decade of Service Excellence awards for Thompson Toyota.

A lifelong volunteer, Guy was past-President of the San Mateo County Better Business Bureau and longtime board member of the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce, a proud Rotarian, and was a devoted member of the Los Altos United Methodist Church. His passions included steam locomotives, classic Japanese cars, and his fleet of antique fire trucks which brought family and friends a lot of joy. He and Gayle enjoyed many years of travels to all 50 states and throughout the world, with their favorite destination being Japan.

Guy is survived by his wife of nearly 67 years, Gayle, his daughters Tracey Chelgren, Paige (Tim) Heenan and Bryn (Raymond) Rose, 9 grandchildren, Travis, Kyle and Evan Chelgren, Kyra, Chase and Drew Heenan, Emma, Ian and Aidan Rose, his sister Janet (Skip) Ross, nephew Clay (Rachel) Ross and their children, Whitney and Braydon, all of whom will remember his sense of humor and mastery of puns, as well as his dedication to the service of others.

A Memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 4, at 1:00 p.m. at the Los Altos United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to United Methodist Committee on Relief.