Kevin Joseph Guffey

Kevin Joseph Guffey passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 1 st . He was surrounded by his loving
family and dear friend as they kept him comfortable in his final hours. 
Kevin is well known for his culinary accomplishments over the course of his life. From the age of 14,
Kevin was in the kitchen in some capacity. He worked his way through every station over the years and
became an Executive Chef at the Athletic Club of Columbus at the age of 29 and finished his career as
the Executive Chef of Rocky Fork Hunt and Country Club at the age of 45. Spending time in Manhattan,
Kansas, Columbia, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Columbus, Ohio, he shared his knowledge,
mentorship, and abundant skills with many culinary and hospitality teams.
Outside of the kitchen, Kevin enjoyed woodworking in his garage, fishing in any body of water he could
find, and spending time hiking, exploring, and learning with his daughter and wife, who he affectionately
referred to as his “girls.”
While well known for his time in the kitchen, Kevin’s greatest accomplishment was becoming a father to
his beautiful and intelligent daughter, Keely Simone Guffey. He supported every interest her heart
desired. Most nights he would make it home from work in time to read with her, talk with her about her
day, hold her hand when things got tough or just kiss her goodnight. In the colder months, you would
find them building Lego sets and listening to music. If the weather was good on his Monday off every
week, Keely and Kevin would cast a pole in the water and sit together until the sun set.
A truly altruistic soul, Kevin Joseph Guffey will be missed but his legacy of kindness, respect, strength,
and perseverance will live on through all the lives he touched.
Preceded in death by: Jack and Libby Bennett(Grandparents), Orville “Speedy” and Winnifred
Guffey(Grandparents).
Survived by: Brandy Guffey(Wife), Keely Guffey(Daughter), Osmer Guffey(Pup), Libby Guffey(Mother),
Jody and Lavois Guffey (Father), Jason and Michelle Guffey (Brother), Addison Guffey(Niece), Austin
Guffey(Nephew), Jackson Guffey(Nephew), Ryan and Liz Wilson(Step-brother) Felicia Wilson(Niece),
Atticus Wilson(Nephew), Randy Lofton(Step-brother), Lucas Lofton (Nephew), Mike and Sally Barnes
(Mother and Father in-law), Matt Barnes and Jocelyn Sperko (Brother in-law), Jaxon Barnes(Nephew),
Noah Barnes(Nephew), Remi Sperko-Barnes(Niece), Obie Sperko-Barnes(Nephew) and Dan Engstrom
(confidant).
Celebration of Life Reception will be held on October 7 th at Rocky Fork Hunt and Country Club. Time of
event will be from 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Fishing Event in Kevin’s honor will be held on October 8 th at Prairie Oaks Metro Park at 12:00 p.m.
Contributions can be made to: https://gofund.me/75666326, https://wosu.org/support/,
https://veggievan.local-matters.org/donate, https://donate.wck.org/give/499865/#!/donation/checkout
A special thank you goes to the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Dr. Sameek
Roychowdhury, Nurse Karl, Nurse Chris, Nurse Tina, The chemotherapy team on the 11 th floor of the
Martha Morehouse, Dr. Joshua Palmer, Dr. Britni Lookabaugh, Dr. Matthew Paulus and many more.
Your work matters, but your kindness and care are what kept us going.

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