Walt Gutierrez

Walt Gutierrez created a lot of magic in this world. Whether you knew him as the face of Toyota of Newnan, the 2015 Coweta County Citizen of the Year, or as a playful, hardworking family man and friend, Walt leaves a legacy of generosity and love. He died January 28, 2026, at Emory Midtown Medical Center of complications from Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia. He was 69. Long before a PR firm used the expression "walternative" in an ad campaign for his car dealership, Walt was known for playing by his own rules in business and in life. He was unconventional to his core, and that just might have been the secret to his success. This was a man who donated to local hospitals and dozens of causes, and quietly helped hundreds of families in need with holiday meals and groceries. He danced to Shakira in a Dancing with the Stars fundraiser for a shelter for victims of domestic violence (and won a People's Choice Award for his performance). He made joy wherever he went, and he went a lot of places. Walt was born in Medellín, Colombia, on October 14, 1956, to the late Jaime and Sixta Otalora Gutierrez. The sixth of ten children, he stood out but got along with everyone. The family emigrated to the U.S. in the mid-sixties when Walt was 9, settling in Elmhurst, Illinois. It was a trying time for the close-knit family, and all of the siblings remain close today. As a child, Walt was a bit of a rabble-rouser. Funny and charming, his teachers loved him, but as a class clown rather than a star student, he often found himself in trouble. Highly intelligent, he was bored, and he couldn't sit still. Walt joined the Army at 17. After four years, he learned he had a kidney problem during his exit physical. Walt went on to have a transplant in 1986, having received a kidney from his brother. Again beating the odds, the kidney lasted 40 years. Walt received his AA from the College of DuPage in Wheaton, Illinois. Early on, he worked as a sales representative for a business products company. He began having lunch with a beautiful receptionist named Mary, who was dazzled by Walt's blue-green eyes and his wide smile. When the branch manager reminded Walt about the company's rule against fraternization, Walt simply responded, "I quit." This bold decision to pursue the love of his life also led him to his lifelong career, as he then worked his way up in the car dealership world, from sales to finance manager to general manager, and eventually made a life-changing relocation to Georgia in 2005 to own and operate Toyota of Newnan. Walt and Mary were together for 45 years and married for 43. They had three daughters, Victoria, Andrea, and Isabel, and he loved giving "the girls" unique experiences and exposing them to the wider world. They all cherish memories from family trips, noting Walt's enjoyment of art museums even if he didn't always "get" what he was looking at. They vividly remember the time at his friend's house in Hawaii when Walt knocked two coconuts out of a tree by throwing a perfect spiral with a conveniently football-shaped coconut he found nearby, or the time he was determined to go net fishing in Mexico. The guides stressed the difficulty and the experience it required, but characteristically, he was undeterred. He threw the net for more than an hour until he finally caught two tiny fish. Amused by how proud he was of this feat, the resort's chef prepared and served him the fish for dinner. The girls admire how much perseverance Walt displayed throughout his life, even when at play. As a boss, Walt had high expectations and standards. Many employees at the dealership stayed with him until he retired, and he created opportunities for families and employees to move into leadership roles. He stayed in touch with former employees through texts and birthday messages long into retirement. After retiring in 2021, Walt and Mary were able to travel more than ever before, often with a group of close friends from their beloved neighborhood community. They went to Vietnam, South Africa, Italy, France, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. He had long espoused a work-hard, play-hard philosophy, and when the time came, he knew how to play. Walt loved golf, travel, fishing, and sports, particularly the Chicago Bears and the Atlanta Falcons, as well as good wine and, of course, cars. He had a sweet tooth, but he was also health-conscious. In the drawer of his desk, Mary found a Post-it note: "You can never outrun a bad diet." He was a bit of a fashionista and liked to look good, always in suits during his working years, then in Lululemon, a golf cap, flip-flops, and sunglasses in his retirement. When Walt became sick, he fought hard to the end to keep up his activities with all his favorite people. He didn't want to miss a thing. Walt is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen Dennison Gutierrez; daughters Victoria (Nick Pierce) Gutierrez, Andrea (Bryan La Dow) Gutierrez La Dow, and Isabel Gutierrez; grandson Pierce La Dow; siblings Oscar (Sharon), Jorge (Christine), Hernan (Jayme), Jaime Jr. (Lenore), Carlos (Judy), Magda (Eric Schwartz) Wesslund, Ernesto (Heidi), Dario (Kymm), and Lilly (Bob) Bates; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A celebration of life Mass will be held Saturday, May 9, at St. George Catholic Church at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow at Newnan Country Club. Condolences may be expressed online at www.mckoon.com. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests memorial contributions to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at www.stjude.org or to the Coweta Samaritan Clinic at https://www.csccares.org/. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory, 770-253-4580

Walt Gutierrez

October 14, 1956 - January 28, 2026