Marie Guay Recognized with Phelps-Martin Award

Last summer Senior Loan Officer Marie Guay in our Chazy, NY office passed away after a short battle with cancer. Her memory was honored with the Phelps-Martin Award for Community Service last month at the Farm Credit Council annual meeting in Washington, DC. Several family members traveled to Washington for the occasion. Donald Guay, Marie's husband, received the award from FCC Board Chairman Mike Garnett:

Marie truly deserved this award. (Click here for more information about the Phelps-Martin Award for Community Service.) Marie lived her life in service to others. She was devoted to her family. She gave freely of her time and energy to her friends and neighbors. She was a leader in her church and also in Boy Scouts when her two sons were young. She was dedicated to her customers and co-workers at Farm Credit, and to the greater agricultural community in which she lived.

In 2005 Marie's boss and friend Gordon Hurlburt, a long-time employee of Yankee Farm Credit, was diagnosed with cancer. Marie became involved with the Plattsburgh Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research. Later in 2005 Marie's mother was also diagnosed with cancer. Gordon died in 2006 and Marie's mother died in 2007. Marie became increasingly involved in Relay for Life (see this blog post for example) serving first as Team Captain Chair and then as Survivor Committee Chair. Her last Relay was in June 2011. How ironic that Marie herself, who never smoked, should be diagnosed with lung cancer in July. She died on August 1, 2011 (obituary).

Marie's connections with Farm Credit ran deep. She started working for Farm Credit in the Chazy, NY office in 1983 as an office assistant, eventually advancing to senior loan officer. Marie and Donald also operated a family dairy farm and were Farm Credit customers. Their son Rob continues the tradition of Farm Credit employment, working as an appraiser trainee in the Chazy office.

Present for last month's presentation of the Phelps-Martin Award, in addition to family members, were several Yankee Farm Credit directors and employees and Congressman Bill Owens of Plattsburgh, NY. Before being elected to Congress, Mr. Owens was an association attorney for Yankee Farm Credit. Marie worked closely with him, and in fact left Farm Credit for six months in 1995 to work briefly for Mr. Owens.

Left to right in the photo below – Doris Trombley, Lisa Wener, Alan Bourbeau, Congressman Bill Owens, Walt Gladstone, Donald Guay, Rocky Giroux, Rob Guay, George Putnam, Kevin Guay, Steve Taylor, Rachel Dutil:

The Phelps-Martin Award for Community Service that Donald Guay is holding in the above photos:



We all wish that Marie herself was here to receive this award. She is greatly missed by everyone who knew her.