Guinn’s sons describe shock about death of father

Jeff and Steve Guinn stepped out of their parents' front door Friday to make the first public comments by family members about the death of former Gov. Kenny Guinn.

But they weren't yet ready to talk about their dad.

For nearly nine minutes the two men, along with Guinn friend and confidant Pete Ernaut, tried to hold their grief in check by leaning on each other and taking turns answering questions from reporters.

It didn't work.

All three men at times were visibly shaken as they stood in the shadow of the home where Guinn and his wife, Dema, had lived since 1978 and where Guinn fell to his death on Thursday.

"As you can imagine, our father's death has come as a terrible shock," said Jeff Guinn, 50, of the loss of his dad who at 73 had remained vibrant and gregarious.

He spoke just several feet away from the rooftop the former governor had reportedly ascended to clear away pine needles late Thursday morning in triple-digit temperatures.

No official cause of death has been reported. Before Friday's news conference, Clark County Coroner Michael Murphy would say only that Guinn suffered a "medical event."

Murphy said the question is: "Did the medical event cause the fall or did the fall cause the medical event?"

Ernaut said family members had spoken with the coroner minutes earlier and learned only that it could be as long as two weeks before a cause of death can be determined.

One early report suggested Guinn suffered a brain aneurysm but neither Murphy, Ernaut nor family members would confirm such a conclusion.

"The speculation is not helpful," Ernaut said.

Instead they chose to focus on an outpouring of support they said included calls and e-mails from hundreds of people.

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, were among those who offered condolences, Ernaut said.

But the three men spent more time talking about the flood of support from ordinary Nevadans who related to the two-term Republican governor's common touch and efforts on behalf of students, the poor and the mentally ill.

Foremost on the minds of well-wishers was Nevada's Millennium Scholarship program, which since 2000 has helped about 60,000 high school graduates attend state colleges and universities.

The scholarship, which was later named after Guinn, was in keeping with his lifelong love of education.

From his early childhood of reading the newspaper to his illiterate father in tiny Exeter, Calif., to his days as the superintendent of schools in Clark County, interim president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and governor, Guinn prized education as critical to people's well-being.

"We passed that on to our kids," said Steve Guinn, 44, during the news conference at the home near downtown Las Vegas.

Guinn was elected in 1998 and served from 1999 to 2007, when he left office as the second-oldest governor in state history, at age 70.

But the former star athlete maintained the energy of a much younger man throughout his tenure in office and until his death.

"He outworked all the staff that were 20 to 30 years younger," said Ernaut, who ran Guinn's first gubernatorial campaign and was his first chief of staff.

A tearful Jeff Guinn characterized his father as "The man I want to be."

Last year Jeff Guinn was the subject of unflattering public scrutiny after investors with a lending firm he owned alleged financial mismanagement.

"I feel almost like I have to start over at times," he continued.

Ernaut said the most difficult moments are still ahead, as the family has two public services planned in Guinn's honor.

The first is a visitation Monday at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph, Husband of Mary Roman Catholic Church, 7260 W. Sahara Ave.

The second is a funeral at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the same location.

The family has asked that well-wishers consider a donation to the Kenny C. Guinn Memorial Millennium Scholarship Fund.

Donations can be sent to the State Treasurer's Office, 101 N. Carson St., No. 4, Carson City, NV 89701.

"He was deeply concerned about the cuts in education," Ernaut said.

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Reporter Mike Blasky contributed to this report.