Wichita woman loses husband of 38 years in house fire

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A Wichita man died in his front yard after escaping a house fire last week. His wife and son survived that fire.

Kristen Guynn said her mom, Sherri Guynn, lost everything in the fire, most importantly, her husband of 38 years. She said they had yet to wake up from the new nightmare, and they feared they were now stuck living.

One day, Kristen received a horrifying phone call.

“‘Kristen, we’ve got to go. Mom and dad’s house is on fire, and dad may be dead.’ I don’t think I got up faster than that day,” she said.

The family said it started in a bedroom, believing an electrical cord started the fire. Kristen said she immediately headed over. Sherri was attempting to save Kristen’s father in the front yard.

“I tried to do CPR on him until the firefighters got there, and he didn’t make it,” said Sherri.

Harlin Guynn died moments later. The family believes the fire added stress to his heart. He already suffered from congestive heart failure.

Sherri said her best friend and husband of 38 years was taken from her in an instant.

“I was a mess. He was my everything,” she said.

Sherri and her son made it out alive, their home a total loss. They went through the rubble. It was a hard reminder of what was gone. They are now living with another family while they move through grief.

“We’ve cried so many tears; it’s just that I don’t know. I talk to him at night, and that helps stuff, but he’s truly missed,” said Sherri.

Sherri and Kristen remember Harlin as a family man who loved the outdoors and always spent time with his 14 grandkids. They said he would want them to smile and celebrate their time together.

“We gather as a family, and that’s what we need right now: to be together and hold each other up, let our cries out, be there, and remember the good moments,” said Kristen.

“I think God just needed him a little more than we did right now,” said Sherri.

Kristen said they are now looking for a new place for her mother to start over. They plan to honor the life Harlin lived over the weekend and believe that’s what he would’ve wanted.

They come together as a family.

A GoFundMe has been made for Sherri and her family to recover. You can find that here .

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