John Bryan Mcguffey

John Bryan McGuffey, 64, of Irmo, passed away on Monday, July 17, 2023. John was born in Alhambra, California on March 8, 1959. He grew up in northern California and Connecticut, and eventually made his way to San Francisco where he stayed until joining the U.S. Army in March of 1985. John spent several years of his military career overseas and served in the Gulf War. After the Army, John earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and spent 16 years as a critical care Registered Nurse at the V.A. Hospital in Palo Alto, California. He moved to South Carolina soon after his retirement in the summer of 2022. John was a wonderful husband, a loving father, and a good mentor. He was kind, generous, loving, badass, and funny. An accomplished musician, he delighted people with his guitar skills and could talk easily about all kinds of music, from classical opera to Mongolian metal. After his military service, John got a Harley that was not in the best shape. After the sixth or seventh time the kickstand fell off and he dropped the bike, he was dubbed “Groundhog” because his hog was always on the ground. John was a great storyteller, whose tales of his life experiences either had you on the edge of your seat or rolling with laughter. John was a man loved by all. His presence and absence will be felt by everyone whose life he touched. Surviving John are his loving wife, Gloria McGuffey; his mother, Anny J; his daughter, Sara Jay McGuffey; his sister, Ginger Morris and her wife, Norma Bontadelli; his niece, Olga Yatsenka; and cousins Marilyn Clark and Traci Phillips. John is also survived by his brothers in all but blood, Chuck Perry (“Shugah”), Derek Ogea (“Buhdda”), Greg Mack (“Player”), Jason Shiflet (“Shifty”), Matt Woodward (“Doc”), Shawn Evans (“Sinjun”), Tommy Porter (“Bull”), Steve Higgins, and the many, many other wonderful people whose lives he touched and who remained cherished friends to the end. He is also survived by his beloved family dogs, Opus and Milo, and their best friend, Willow. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 24, 2023, at Temples-Halloran Funeral Home (5400 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 29212). The family will visit with friends from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. Interment will be at Fort Jackson National Cemetery (4170 Percival Road, Columbia, SC 29229) at 2:00 p.m.