ESCONDIDO (KGTV) — Roy Guerrero, an Escondido veteran who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War before dedicating years to his local school district, died July 15. He was 98.
Guerrero spent 27 years in the Marine Corps. His name is imprinted at Grape Day Park in Escondido on the Wall of Courage, a memorial for locals who served the country.
His granddaughter, Valerie Sundly, remembered him as a constant presence.
"He was always there. He was the type of person that you didn't have to question if you needed something. It was just like, you know, well, maybe if I need this and he's not there, like, no, he was always there."
After his military career, Guerrero continued his service through the Escondido Union School District, where he worked as a bilingual aide, tutoring children whose first language was not English.
As a Mexican American and a Marine who traveled to different countries during three wars, Guerrero was well equipped to help students wanting to learn.
"Interesting enough, he's fluent in Spanish, fluent in English, but then he also had to learn Mandarin overseas. He had to learn Korean. He had to learn Vietnamese, and he, he could count up to like 10 or 20 in all those languages, Japanese as well," Sundly said.
Sundly said she hopes people remember her grandfather for the values he embodied.
"His kindness, how he wanted to make the community a better place, um, his willingness to learn and willingness to teach," Sundly said.
Guerrero would have turned 99 on Saturday, Aug. 8. A service will be held at Resurrection Church in Escondido on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 10 a.m.
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