01/27/2026
James (Jim) Stanley Guard, age 79, of Trochu, Alberta passed away peacefully, at the Three Hills Hospital on January 26, 2026, with loved ones by his side. He was grateful for his final few weeks of family & friends stopping by for one last visit.
Jim was born on July 17, 1946, in Innisfail Alberta, to Haldon and Dorothy Guard, He was the third of four boys, and the majority of his life was spent in Wimborne and Trochu, since 1954, where he has called this community home ever since.
Jim met Mary Glenn Jensen in 1966, and the two married in 1969, beginning their loving relationship that lasted almost 60 years. Together they built their life in Trochu, where they raised their children, Kelly, Nadine and Miranda, living in three different family homes.
In 1964, Jim and his three brothers purchased Raymond Rear’s share of the John Deere Dealership in Trochu, which changed to Guard’s Implements, until they sold in 1994. Jim obtained his Motor Mechanics (1972) and Partsman Certification (1974) from SAIT and numerous management courses and trips with John Deere through his career.
Retirement was spent catering in the community, for 35 years together. They truly enjoyed socializing with everyone at each event they worked at in the community.
Jim was an outstanding community member, who gave generously of his time, talents and treasures. He served as a Board of Trustee with Golden Hills School Division for 8 years, he was a volunteer Firefighter for 18 years, he was the avid member for the Trochu Hall Board for a number of years, fundraising to build the new community centre, which opened in 2002. He still continued to provide his services right up until December when he sold his last batch of 300 club tickets, which he was passionate about.
While raising their kids, Jim & Mary Glenn spent endless hours and days camping and had a seasonal at Pine Lake for years, until shortly after the tornado in 200. They continued camping with family & friends in their 5th wheel until last summer.
Jim’s dedication to his family, friends and community often came before his own needs. While life was busy between work, volunteering and numerous trips to Calgary for Miranda, they always made time to take their kids to extracurricular activities. Jim often had the big brown van filled with kids to go to hockey games with Kelly, or dance competitions with Nadine.
The Guard house was always a revolving door of company, from young to old...everyone was always welcome there! So many stories shared around the kitchen table over dinner, drinks or games of cards. Jim always found comfort in his connections with others and so many memories were created together!
Jim is survived by his loving wife, Mary Glenn, his children Kelly (Rachel), Nadine & Miranda, nine grandchildren & four great-grandchildren. Kelly & Rachel’s family: Cody (Chantel) & Calvin; Austin (Becky), Theo & Luna; Jordan (Kayla); Matthew (Taylor) & Amelia; Shalev, Alexandra, Breanna and Nadine’s son Joshua and his brother Jacob. As the family continued to grow, Jim enjoyed spending time at our family functions catching up over a delicious meal and playing games & cards.
He is also survived by his brother Gord (Anna) , sister-in laws: Sandy, Lorraine, Eileen (Jack), Debbie, Norma & Phyllis (Marshall); as well as many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. Jim leaves behind a community of lifetime friendships and many of their kids' friends who have been treated like family over the years together.
To say he will be deeply missed by family and friends, and our community, can’t even articulate our feeling of loss. He leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, authenticity, dedication, and endless stories. Jim was predeceased by his parents; his mother and father in-law; his brothers Bruce and Earl; his brothers-in-law: Frank, Allen, Murray and sisters-in-law: Henrietta (Albert), Rita (Garry) and Mona. Rest in peace - We Love YOU!
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Trochu Community Centre or Rehoboth Christian Ministries (Three Hills) where Miranda has been for 25 years.
