Guy Oliver Monroe

Guy Oliver Monroe – June 11, 1944–April 29, 2022

Guy Oliver Monroe, known as "Baka" to his grandkids, died April 29, 2022, in Palm Desert, California. He was born to Cal Graham Monroe and Beth Purvine Monroe on June 11, 1944 in Salem, Oregon. He was raised in Corvallis, Oregon and graduated from Oregon State University, where he was recruited by Boeing Computer Services in Seattle.

Guy and his first wife, Sue, joined the Peace Corps in Venezuela, where he became fluent in Spanish. They returned to Boeing in Virginia where they welcomed their daughter, Megan, and soon moved back to Seattle. Guy loved playing card games, solving logic puzzles with Megan, supporting her activities, and napping in front of Seahawks games. His varied interests ranged from being an Eagle Scout, to involvement in 4H as a boy, to wrestling and running marathons.

In 1991, Guy met Karol at a duplicate bridge club in Bellevue, Washington. They married later that year and became a new family with their three teenage children, Megan, Jarrod, and Kara.

After 30 years at Boeing, Guy retired on his 55th birthday in 1999. It was his dream to live on the Oregon Coast, and he and Karol built their oceanfront retirement home in Newport, Oregon. Guy spent summers as “Ranger Guy,” an Oregon State Parks tidepool naturalist, hosting tours and sharing the wonders of the beautiful ocean beaches. He enjoyed studying and watching the coastal birds and authored a book of his observations titled “A Bird's Day At Yaquina Head,” illustrated by Karol’s brother, Jordan. In 2013, he and Karol relocated to Palm Desert.

Guy and Karol enjoyed their lifelong bridge partnership and competed frequently in bridge tournaments throughout North America, traveling and touring on land and on cruises. They became a formidable bridge teaching team, offering instructional bridge programs on land and cruise ships worldwide.

Guy is survived by his wife Karol, sisters Vicki Beninga and Liv Monroe, daughter Megan Russell (Jason), stepson Jarrod Poulsen (Nissa), stepdaughter Kara Graham (Matt), and grandchildren Zoe and Lucas Russell, Audrey Poulsen, Hayden, Haylie and Holden Hetland and Everly Graham.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National MS Society in support of his daughter, or the Eisenhower Stroke Center where he was treated. Service details will be determined at a later date.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.tridentsociety.com/location/rancho-mirage-cremation for the Monroe family.