Obituary of Samuel Guida

Samuel Guida, 89, of Bartonsville, died Thursday, November 27, 2014. He was the husband of Helen (Sipple) Carmack. Born in Laflin, he was the son of the late John and Mary (Pavlisko) Guida. A Veteran of the US Navy, Sam served in WWII along with all four of his brothers, making his mother a gold star mother. He served on the carrier USS Ticonderoga under command of Admiral "Bull" Halsey, 3rd Fleet, South, Pacific. Sam was the gunner, manning the 40mm gun. The Ticonderoga was hit by two Kamikaze planes in January 1945, sustaining 337 casualties. He was also present in Tokyo Bay as a member of the occupation force during the surrender of the Japanese to the allied powers. Sam was a recipient of the Philippine Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, American Area Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal and five Battle Stars. He has an original picture of the signing of surrender on the USS Missouri with the US delegates and the Japanese delegates. Sam also has a picture of the flyer John McNabb of Newton, who is listed by the Navy as being the man to drop the last conventional bomb on Japan, deploying off the USS Ticonderoga. Sam lived most of his life in Monroe County. He was a self-employed drywall subcontractor who worked in the PA and NJ area for 40 years. He was a lifetime member of St. Luke's Catholic Church in Stroudsburg, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Stroudsburg, the Ticonderoga Association, which held its reunions in Stroudsburg every year and former member of the Eagles of Stroudsburg. He is survived by his three children, Marjorie Beers of Cresco, Andrew Guida and his wife Debi of Greentown and Christine Tarnecky of Stroudsburg; seven grandchildren; two great grandchildren; brother, George Guida of Pocono Summit, sisters, Ann Soken of Scranton; Helen Esmunicki of Scranton; Alice Kruk of Mount Pocono; many nieces and nephews and his beloved dog, Teddy. Sam was preceded in death by his daughter, Sandra Ecker, sister, Mary Vaccola, and his three brothers, Michael, Joseph and John Guida. The Reverend Father Thomas McLaughlin will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, December 2 at 10:00 am at St. Luke's Catholic Church, 818 Main Street, Stroudsburg. There will be a viewing from 9:30 until the time of service at the church. Burial will follow at Laurelwood Cemetery in Stroudsburg. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Luke's Catholic Church at the address listed above.