Wallace Vee Gutzmer

Wallace Vee Gutzmer, age 60, of Las Vegas, Nevada, went home to be with Jesus on February 18, 2026.

Wally was born on December 30, 1965, in Rapid City, South Dakota, to Wallace and Judi Gutzmer. He was baptized into the family of God in January 1966 at Zion Lutheran Church in Rapid City. He was confirmed in his Christian faith at Lord and Savior Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake, Illinois on April 6, 1980.

Wally was a registered member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe through his mother's family line.

Wally attended Northwestern Lutheran Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin, from 1980 to 1984. He then continued his education at Northwestern Lutheran College in Watertown from 1984 to 1987.

For many years, Wally worked as a manager at AFC in Illinois. However, he found his greatest joy in education. He worked as a guest teacher for the Clark County School District and taught for four years at Discovery Charter School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Wally loved his students deeply and often said he had finally found his true vocation in life.

Wally also faithfully served at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Las Vegas as an ESL teacher and assisted the pastor with Spanish outreach mission work. He pursued his interest in photography and graphic arts by taking classes at the Art Institute of Las Vegas. He used these talents to serve his church, helping manage Mt. Olive's social media presence.

On December 12, 2014, Wally married Juliene Warner in Las Vegas. Together they shared eleven wonderful years of marriage, united in their love of teaching and service to their church. One of Wally's favorite places was his parents' mountain property near Custer, South Dakota. He and Juliene spent many summers camping there, enjoying the beauty of the Black Hills. Wally was part of a large family . He loved attending the annual family reunions at the family farm in South Dakota with his parents, aunts, uncles and many cousins.

Wally was preceded in death by his younger brother, Matthew Gutzmer, who died in 1981.

He is survived by his wife, Juliene Gutzmer of Las Vegas, Nevada; his parents, Wallace and Judi Gutzmer of Point, Texas; his brothers, Steven (Vibeke) Gutzmer of Denmark, Mark (Veronica) Gutzmer of Crystal Lake, Illinois, and James (Meleah) Gutzmer of Greenville, Texas; his sons, Matthew (Jesse) Gutzmer of Seattle, Washington, and Michael Gutzmer of Urbana, Illinois; his grandchildren, Selah and Ezra Gutzmer of Seattle, Washington; and his nieces and nephews: Nikolaj Gutzmer, godson Jakob Gutzmer, godson Andrew Gutzmer, goddaughter Olivia Gutzmer, Madeline Gutzmer, Sara Wilson (Richard), Christopher (Roxene) Sabadach, Ashlynn Sabadach and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

From the day of his baptism to the day of his death, Wally lived in the sure hope of eternal life won by his Savior, Jesus Christ. Through all of life's trials, he remained confident in God's promise recorded in Hebrews 13:5: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." The hope of the resurrection comforts and sustains Wally's family and friends, as Jesus declared in John 11:25-26: "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die."

A Service of Victory in Christ will be held on February 28 at 3:00 p.m. at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 10265 Bermuda Road, Las Vegas, Nevada. Visitation with the family will take place prior to the service from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.