Rest in Peace Pete Gutillo

Posted on Posted in Announcement 3 Comments

From Sue Snider on Saturday, September 5

With a heavy, heavy heart tonight, I am letting people know that Pete Gutillo passed away this morning, at home, as he wished. His fondest memories were of the paddling trips he took in the Southeast, as well as the Middle Fork Salmon (ID), Grand Canyon in AZ, and other rivers in Mexico, Costa Rica, and France.
His special favorites were the Nolichucky and the French Broad; he loved to calculate how many runs he had on each.
He also loved teaching at CCC clinics and leading downriver trips at Week of Rivers and throughout the year. He said that the cruise chairs kept calling him in the winter because no one else wanted to lead a trip in January or February!
In the last few years, he paddled mostly in the warm springs in FL in winter, but he loved watching and critiquing videos of whitewater boaters at any time. He much preferred to see paddlers “styling” a river rather than “falling off” a waterfall. Paddle on, Pete, and continue to enjoy the run
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3 Comments on “Rest in Peace Pete Gutillo”

  1. That is sad news. Pete was my friend. We did a lot of paddling together but as we go older, I lost touch with him. I could tell some tales about our paddling days, but this is not the time. I miss those days.

  2. So sorry to hear of Pete’s passing. I have fond memories of paddling with him and with Sue. We lost touch when Nancy and I moved to West Virginia several years ago, but we cherish the times that we had together.

    Condolences to Sue and all who knew Pete.

  3. I spent many days on the Noli with Pete and sometimes Sue. Pete was a patient guide who helped teach me that river which we both loved. I will never forget Pete paddling the Ocoee with me after he had a heart attack (at the Noli takoeout). He was cleared to paddle but had to wear a heart monitor. He told me in advance that he could not get his heart rate up so if I had an out of boat experience I would need to self-rescue. Fortunately, it was a dry hair day for both of us. We visiterd Pete and Sue in Buffalo about 2 years ago and he was doing well. Rest in Peace dear friend.

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