John Barry Guillet

John Barry Guillet passed away peacefully on September 1, 2024 in Natchitoches, Louisiana, just a few days shy of his 78th birthday. Throughout the many colorful decades of his life, Barry simply defied description. Most of the people who met him never forgot the experience. In fact, most of the people who met him spent the rest of their own lives telling others about “the first time I met Barry Guillet.”

Barry often recalled his family’s humble beginnings as performers and roadies for the Bayer Brothers’ Circus of Sarasota, Florida. Barry was particularly proud of his sister, Rosalyn, who had given birth to the largest baby on record, a 32 lb., 6 oz baby boy, who had not been particularly large, but had rather been “a real long baby.” In fact, when Barry had helped to deliver Rosalyn’s child at home with others from the family, they had at first feared that his sister was giving birth to a snake. Their family “home” in Spada, Louisiana—and many will remember this—consisted of several 1956-model Buick Roadmasters that they had carefully welded together. The home was protected by a nest of “guinea wasps,” which are known to remain friendly to those with whom they are familiar. Perhaps of greatest interest to their many visitors was the family’s large troop of forest gorillas, with whom they lived intimately as a family (“very intimately”).

After leaving Spada, Barry graduated from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Natchitoches, and earned a business degree from Northwestern State University, where he served in the R.O.T.C. During the Vietnam War, Barry enlisted as a helicopter pilot in the United States Army, flying troop support missions in the UH-1 “Huey” aircraft. When he returned, Barry began work as a realtor in Natchitoches, eventually opening Guillet Realty in the early 1970’s. In the early 1980’s, Barry expanded his aviation career by building—and then flying—a Christen Eagle II, a high-performance biplane specifically designed for aerobatic performance. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, Barry flew airshows in Louisiana, Mississippi, and throughout the South with Marion Cole’s Flying Circus. Barry was close with many of the top performers on the national airshow circuit, including his local friends, Wyche Coleman, Wyche “Taylor” Coleman, Kevin Coleman, and Gary Boucher, as well as many others throughout the country. He eventually left the airshow circuit and sold the Eagle, but he continued to fly his vintage Aeronca, a World War II-era trainer with a wooden propellor that required hand-propping. Barry gave many joyrides in the Eagle (it was a two-seater), and buzzed quite a few fishing boats on Cane River at airspeeds and closing distances that were only marginally safe.

Guillet Realty continued in full force until 2024. Barry began his practice as a residential realtor and appraiser. By the 1980’s, he had developed a strong commercial practice, appraising, selling, developing, and managing a variety of properties including shopping centers, apartments, timberland, and farmland. He was assisted in the last years of his practice by his long-time secretary, Velma Richardson.

Barry never wore a watch or owned a calendar. Yet throughout his life, he always had time for his friends. In fact, he always made time for anyone who would listen to a story—whether they knew that they were listening to a “story” or not. For him, all the world was indeed his stage, and every minute of every day—and every person in his path—was another potential ingredient in the spontaneous script that was his unique art. There are some who believe that he swallowed a cue ball. There are others—many others—who believe that he served as the sheriff of a small county, where he lived in a two-story mobile home. Whatever his truth may have been, no one will ever know for sure. But the truths that he created will continue in the oral history that was his gift to his friends and fans, all of whom he loved very much. 

It is in fact the truth that Barry was born on September 3, 1946 to John Curtis and Kathryn (“Kitty”) Guillet of Natchitoches. His many siblings included Gaylon, Bruce, June, Kenneth, Cathy, Wendy, and Susan—all of whom were graduates and attendees of St. Mary’s Catholic School. He was first married to Lou Horton (now Martin) of Natchitoches, with whom he raised two sons, Chris (married to Lisa) and David (married to Angela). Barry was later married to Glenda Parker Guillet, who predeceased him by just a few months. Barry was known as “Papa” to his many grandchildren: Claire, Michael, Abigail, Ella, Adam, and Henry—all of Natchitoches. When the grandchildren were very little—to their delight—Papa was the only adult who would slide down the tiny children’s slide in the back yard, typically after a few Bud Lights. All the world was his stage.

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Visitation: Thursday, September 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home; Funeral: Friday, September 6, 10:00 a.m., Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home; Burial and Flyover: Immediately following funeral at Memory Lawn (Highway 6, Natchitoches); Reception: Friday, Noon to 3 p.m., Riverside Reserve, 104 Mill Street, Natchitoches. Pallbearers include: Wyche Taylor Coleman, Karson Eversull, Michael Guillet, Adam Guillet, Henry Guillet, and Adam Schindall. Honorary pallbearers include: Jim Bosler, Steve Brown, Wyche Coleman, Gary DeBlieux, Van Eversull, Brad Ferguson, Ron Kendrick, John Emmett Prudhomme, Jim Talmadge, all of the people at the Natchitoches Airport, and anyone who ever enjoyed a good story over a cold one! The family would like to thank Dr. Furquan Akhtar, Dr. Wyche Coleman, Dr. Michelle Mayeaux, Dr. Anil Veluvolu, Dr. Andrew Werner, all of the staff from Hand in Hand Hospice, the many other doctors and nurses who helped, and all of the wonderful staff at the Courtyard of Natchitoches (Ms. Dorothy, Ms. Linda, Michelle—and everyone else)!