Mark Guy Obituary
Mark Guy Tennessee Obituary
Mark Wayne Long, 49, of Whitwell, passed away Sunday, July 17, 2022. His father, Howard Long, and his mother, Patricia Downey Guy, preceded him in death.
Those who cherish his memories are his partner, Sherry Haile of Hixson; brother, Jim Young of South Pittsburg; Tommy Long of Whitwell. Michelle Martin of South Pittsburg. Angelia Bryant of Whitwell, Joelene Morrison of Jasper, James Long, Jeanette Long, Freddy Wooten, Norma Jean Caldwell, Glen Long of Whitwell, Sandra Caldwell of Tracy, Lisa Higgins, Jim Long, both of Whitwell; grandchildren, Bobo Haile and Zay Haile; several nieces, nephews and many friends.
The family will receive friends at Amazing Grace Chapel Church on Thursday, July 21, 2022, from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM and Friday, July 22, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Mark William Guy, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend to all, joined our Lord on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, at 58. Mark suffered complications from diabetes but overcame his kidney disease and received a transplant, the gift of life. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, December 9th, at the First Baptist Church of Groceville in Cut N Shoot, Texas, with Pastor Curtis Hallford officiating.
Mark was born to George and Annette Guy in Fairfield, California, on June 30, 1961. He lived in San Antonio, Texas, where he met his wife of 38 years, Chris. They had three sons, Justin, Kenneth, and Nathan, and helped raise their niece, Crystal. His parents died before him.
He is survived by his wife, Chris; three sons, Justin Guy and his girlfriend Phyllis; Kenneth Guy and his wife, Brooke; three children and his grandchildren, Kylie, Spencer, and Marlee; Nathan Guy and his fiancee, Hannah; sisters Debbie and husband Jim, Cheryl Rowland, and brother Shawn Guy. He also leaves many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends behind him.
Funeral service at 3 p.m., Friday, July 22, 2022, at Amazing Grace Chapel Church in Sequatchie with Reverend Clinton Cooksey officiating. Burial will follow in Whitwell Memorial Cemetery. Instead of flowers, please donate via the donation tab on our website to help cover final costs. Share memories and photos and express your condolences to the family.
Mark Guy’s Life Story
Mark Guy (born January 28, 1964) is a former American football player who played three seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Calgary Stampeders. He had a fantastic college football experience at the University of Tennessee at Martin and even joined the Detroit Drive in the Arena Football League (AFL). What an incredible journey!
Professional Background
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Guy inked a deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in March of 1989. He played seven games for the Roughriders during the 1989 season and caught seven passes for 144 yards and one touchdown. He also recorded four receptions for 100 yards in the 77th Gray Cup, a 43-40 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on November 26, 1989. Guy totaled 29 receptions for 328 yards and two touchdowns in twelve games for the Roughriders Year 1990. The team later released him.
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders then signed the guy in June 1991. During the 1991 season, he caught 16 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown in seven games for the team and returned 29 scores for 401 yards.
Detroit Drive
On July 1, 1992, the Detroit Free Press excitedly announced that Guy had officially signed with the Detroit Drive! During the 1992 season, he recorded three receptions for a team-high 29 yards. He also collected four tackles, three pass breakups, and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. On August 22, 1992, the Drive won ArenaBowl VI against the Orlando Predators 56-38.
Military Career
In 1986, Green graduated from the United States Military Academy with a bachelor’s degree in quantitative management. In 1987, he received a master’s degree in systems administration from the University of Southern California.
From 1987 to 1990, Green served as an infantry officer in the US Army. After graduating from US Army Ranger School, his first assignment was with the 194th Armored Brigade at Fort Knox.
He served as a rifle platoon leader, reconnaissance platoon leader, and battalion adjutant for an infantry battalion. After the Infantry Officer Training Course, then-Captain Green served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a supply officer for an airborne battalion and commander of a rifle company.
After a traumatic event in which a team of surgeons and critical care doctors saved his father’s life, Green urged the Army to send him to medical school. He attended Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and graduated with an MD in 1999. He trained as an emergency medicine physician at Fort Hood, Texas. After his training, Green was selected as a flight surgeon for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
Green, an exceptional flight surgeon, served one tour of duty in the Afghanistan War and two tours in Iraq.
He was the flight surgeon extraordinaire during Operation Red Dawn, the military operation that captured Saddam Hussein. Green interrogated Hussein for six hours. After his military service, he wrote a book called “A Night with Saddam,” which details Hussein’s capture and interrogation, as well as his service in the army’s elite aviation unit. Green was honorably discharged from the Army in 2006, a testament to his dedication and exemplary service to his country.
Green’s exceptional service earned him the prestigious Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters. His dedication is truly commendable.
The Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with the V symbol for gallantry, under heavy enemy fire, Rescue wounded British Special Forces near Fallujah, and Combat Medical, among other Badges. During his service, he received the Air Assault Badge and the Flight Surgeon Badge.
Civilian Career
Green founded and served as CEO of Align MD, a company that provides emergency room and hospital services to 50 hospitals in 10 states. Green also founded the Two Rivers Medical Foundation, which provides medical care to underserved populations worldwide through medical mission trips. He also operates a free medical clinic in his hometown, Memphis, Tennessee.
Green has served on the boards of directors of several for-profit companies, including American Physician Partners, Align MD, and Rural Physician Partners. He is also a board member of the Middle Tennessee Boy Scouts of America and has served on the advisory board of the political organization Latinos for Tennessee since 2015.
In 2015, Williamson College awarded Green an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.
Political Career
Tennessee State Senate
Green was first elected to the Tennessee Senate in 2012, defeating incumbent Democrat Tim Barnes. He was rumored to be considering challenging Lamar Alexander in the 2014 U.S. Senate election but declined.
Green is best known for his law repealing the Hall Income Tax in Tennessee, which marked only the second time in American history that a state has repealed an income tax. He also co-sponsored a bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations for rape cases where the suspect’s DNA profile is known.
Green received awards for his legislation protecting veterans and small businesses. He also led the fight for automated technology in auto manufacturing in Tennessee and spoke at national conferences.
In 2015 Green proposed a pilot program to test an innovative healthcare solution. The idea was to give Medicaid patients reduced healthcare dollars on a swipe card, giving them choice and control. The incentive is that unused dollars go to the patient in addition to their income check. SJR 88 was approved and signed by the Governor. Requests for waivers from testing the program will be processed by CMS for approval.
Green won the 2016 Republican primary with 84% to 16% of the vote from Lori Smith of Clarksville, Tennessee. In the general election, he defeated Democratic candidate David Cutting 67% to 33%.
Nomination as U.S. Army Secretary
In April 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Green as Secretary of the United States Army. Green was Trump’s second nominee after his first nominee, Vincent Viola, withdrew.
Green faced some opposition due to public statements about transgender people. At a September 2016 Tea Party rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Green said, “If you asked psychiatrists, they would tell you that being transgender is a disease.”
He also supported a state law that limited transgender people’s access to public restrooms to people who match their legal gender and not their gender identity; he told Internet radio host C.J. Porter that he saw his support for this legislation as part of his duty as a senator to “destroy evil.”
Green emphasized that he fully supports school districts seeking to provide separate bathrooms for every student. He acknowledged the concerns about potential legal action from the ACLU. He clarified that he meant the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), not the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). His commitment to accommodating students’ needs is unwavering and commendable.
Green also said he would “not condone” students learning about Islamic beliefs and practices. He later added that he “also doesn’t think we should teach the Lord’s Prayer in schools.” He called for the separation of church and state, “Leave it to the churches, synagogues, and mosques.”
2018 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election
On January 4, 2017, Green filed papers to run for governor in the 2018 gubernatorial election. However, in late 2017, when Rep.
Marsha Blackburn of the 7th District announced her candidacy for the US Senate. Green said he would run for governor in the open congressional seat. His Senate district included almost all of the northeastern part of the congressional district. Read More Obituaries.
