Guy Wayman Nielsen was born on April 8, 1984 to Ivan Delmar Nielsen and Valerie Jean Wayman. He died of a drug overdose on November 2, 2019.
Guy was the 6th child of Ivan and Valerie and the 35th child in the family. When Guy was born, he brought a light into our family that was unique to him. He was a good-natured and confident with a smile that was full of mischief. He was a mature child and learned to talk at an unusually young age. He loved to show off and wasn't afraid of being in the spotlight. He was quick to seek out the older kids for connection and didn't seem to think of himself as the little brother.
During his early years he formed a close bond to "Aunt" Hannah Shultz, a family friend who became like a Grandma to so many in the family. She invested in Guy particularly and found a lot of joy in their time together. Guy sometimes spent days with her at her home in Murray. Guy expressed a desire at a young age to play the violin and Aunt Hannah made that dream come true for him. She purchased his first violin and paid for his lessons. Guy displayed real talent and played effortlessly and beautifully. He kept up his lessons and was given a special opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall in New York City showing much promise for a musical career. In 1996 our dear sweet Aunt Hannah passed away leaving a huge hole in Guy's life.
The next few years were a difficult time for Guy, and he developed drug addictions that led him into some dark years of secrets, accidental overdoses and a general disconnection to family and friends. He was in and out of jail frequently and attempted rehab multiple times without success. Through it all, Guy was able to maintain a certain charisma that endeared people to him wherever he went. Even when brought before court judges he managed to charm his way out of harsh sentences.
On January 3, 2010 his beautiful daughter Ahlana Lynne was born making Guy a Dad. She truly was his greatest accomplishment and he loved her deeply. On December 18, 2011 he married Ahlana's mother Stormy Verholtz making him an instant father figure to her three other children Zach, Destiny, and Kylie. Despite his ongoing addictions and struggles Guy worked hard to be a dad for Kylie and Ahlana who were the youngest and the most involved with him. The kids helped bring fulfillment and purpose to his life.
No matter how hard he tried, Guy could not overcome the darkness of his addiction and he found himself facing a possible prison sentence. As an alternative he was accepted into a vocational school called The Other Side Academy. With the help of the people at the academy he learned how to be honest with himself and others and to take complete ownership of his life again. After two years of sobriety Guy came back into our lives. His sparkle and joy for life returned. He graduated from The Other Side Academy and became an instrument in helping other students in the program. He was slowly regaining his independence and worked hard to rebuild his relationships with family and loved ones.
2019 brought a series of tragedies to Guy's life including the death of three family members in four months time. To outward appearances he seemed to handle these losses and heartbreaks with a smile but inwardly he was struggling with his addiction once more. He relapsed on November 2nd resulting in his death. Guy was only 35 years old.
"You will be forever missed. May you find the peace in passing that eluded you in life."
Guy was preceded in death by his sister Diane, Aunt Hannah Shultz, Annette Miller, his brothers Douglas and Paul and his father Ivan. He is survived by his daughter Ahlana, his informally adopted children Kylie, Destiny, and Zach, his mothers Valerie, Carol, Colleen, Kathleen and Naomi, 42 siblings, several adopted siblings, countless nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.
There will be a public viewing on November 8th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Larkin Mortuary 3688 West 12600 South in Riverton, Utah. Funeral services will be held on November 9th at 12:00 PM at the LDS ward house on 14294 South Loumis Parkway in Bluffdale, Utah.
