By Gabriel Rom
Alvery Guiler of Laurelton died Dec. 13 at the age of 80. He lived on 227th Street for over 40 years.
He was born in Barbados in 1935 to the late Albert and Beryl (Field) Guiler. His father was the manager and proprietor of the Bornn Bay Rum Company.
Guiler emigrated to the United States in 1960, and once in America, he became an insurance salesman. He also was a salesman for the old Reese Buick of Mineola, from which he retired.
His daughter, Althea Hinds-Catlett, saw her father’s career as a fitting continuation of the family trade.
Hinds-Catlett, who lives in Virginia, remembered her father as having a sharp sense of humor, green eyes that she says would sparkle with his wit and wisdom, and a lifelong love of airplanes.
“People were drawn to him. He had that magnetic personality,” she said. “He was kind of soft-spoken, but he could see things in a funny way.”
Guiler is survived by his second wife, Shirley (Meleschi) Korikis, to whom he was married for over 33 years.
Alvery is predeceased by his late wife, Molly (Smith) Guiler; his sister, Gladys Abbott; his daughter, Althea Hinds-Catlett (James) of Henrico, Va. (and her mother, Adelle); his son, Alvery Guiler Jr. of Astoria; stepdaughters, Natasha Milde from Australia and Vasiliki Perez from New York; grandchildren, Janelle Henry from Virginia and Holly Henry of Georgia (and their father, Selwyn); Dana and Madison Milde of Australia and Kellen Perez from New York; great-grandchildren, Jamel Johnson and Nyema David from Virginia.
Alvery also leaves his brother, Rudolph Guiler of New York; Juta Lewis of the U.S. Virgin Islands; Donald Hinds; Dalton Guiler; and Vanburn Guiler, who were all from Barbados; and Elizabeth Mselle from New York.
Reach reporter Gabriel Rom by e-mail at grom@
