June Guzlas Obituary

June Edith Guzlas, 99, of Algood, Tennessee, passed peacefully on Friday, May 5, 2023, while residing as a resident of Bailey Manor in Cookeville. She was five months short of reaching her goal of one hundred years old. June was born Saturday, October 13, 1923, the only child of Lena J. and Gustave Joseph Smith. She was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and attended River Forest High School there. After graduating high school in 1941, June met the love of her life, Anthony Theodore Guzlas, (Tony). They married in 1942 and had four children. Nicknamed, "Bruno," Tony passed in 1999, after 56 years of marriage. After raising her children in Lombard, Illinois, June, and Tony moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. June became an administrative assistant for the St. Petersburg Fire Department, working there for 12 years until she retired. After 20 years in Florida, June and Tony moved to Cookeville, Tennessee in 1993 to be closer to their daughter. Never one to be idle, June wasted no time in securing a position as a "Pink Lady" volunteer with Cookeville Regional Medical Center. After 14 years and over 6,000 hours of volunteer service, June retired. June was instrumental in chartering a Red Hat Society ladies' group who met monthly to dine out in their Red Hat Regalia. A type A, who could work circles around most, June was fondly nicknamed, "The Energizer Bunny!" She was also known as "The Comeback Kind" because of her ability to bounce back after accidents and injuries. June was an avid card player who enjoyed playing Hearts, 31, Damnit, and Pinochle, but was especially passionate about playing Bridge! She loved working crosswords, reading on her Kindle, baking, playing hostess, and entertaining. She was a member of the Cookeville Cumberland Presbyterian Church. June was our family-oriented matriarch. She leaves a rich legacy of many memory-making moments that have touched and enriched the lives of many generations. In addition to her parents, and husband, June was preceded in death by, a daughter-in-law, Kathy Herlihy Guzlas of Glendale Heights, Illinois; a son-in-law, Dr. Norman Max Atnip of Cookeville, Tennessee; and Granddaughter, Jennifer Shea Atnip of Cookeville, Tennessee. She is survived by Son, Dennis Wayne Guzlas (Karen), of Silver Point, Tennessee; Son, Ronald Bruce Guzlas (Renee), of Gulf Shores, Alabama; Daughter, Patti Jean Atnip, of Cookeville, Tennessee; and Son, Terry Lee Guzlas of Algood, Tennessee. She is survived by eight grandchildren, Debra Cribb of Missouri, Tamara Cantrell of Tennessee, Eric Guzlas of Alabama, Bethany Blount of Alabama, Rebecca Vincent of Oklahoma, J. Cryste Bennett of Tennessee, Jeremy Guzlas of Illinois, and Anthony Guzlas of Illinois. She is survived by eleven great-grandchildren, Kyle Cribb, Kory Cribb, Kody Cribb, Tessa Blount, Jaxon Guzlas, Brady Vincent, Josie Vincent, Shelby Bennett, Tucker Bennett, Cole Guzlas, and Emerson Guzlas. She is survived by two great-great-grandchildren, Jasper Cribb, and Juniper Cribb. June's Desire was to be cremated. A Celebration of Life will be planned for a later date. To sign the online guestbook and to send the family a message please visit www. crestlawnmemorial. com Arrangements entrusted to Crest Lawn Funeral Home - Cremation Center.