Obituary of Robert Douglas Guthrie
ROBERT DOUGLAS GUTHRIE was born March 24, 1942, in Moro,
Arkansas, to Pastor Raymond Dixie Guthrie and Edith Lorene Perry
Guthrie. Doug winged his way to Heaven September 24, 2017, at his
home in Licking.
When Doug's father became Superintendent of Schools in the State of
Missouri with the job assignment of consolidation of schools, he moved all
around the state more than the average military family.
Doug accepted Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized at the age
of 8. He was active in the church and was ordained in 1977 as a deacon
in the First Baptist Church of Laveen, Arizona, and served in the First
Southern Baptist Church in Payson, Arizona.
Doug met his future bride, Judie Nelson, in Newburg, Missouri, in 1958
when her father was stationed at Ft Leonard Wood. When her father was
transferred to Vietnam, the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Upon
graduating from Oak Ridge Highway School in Oak Ridge, Missouri, in
1961, he headed west to Phoenix where he proudly joined the Navy and
served his country as an Aviation Machinist's Mate for four years. His
favorite stint in the Navy was when he was assigned to the San Diego Zoo
where his job was to take down the Navy's first aircraft, move it to another
building and re-assemble it. Upon his discharge in 1965, he went to work
at AiResearch Mfg Company (now Honeywell) in the aerospace industry.
His most rewarding experience was to be on the Apollo mechanical back-
up team.
In 1985 he left the aerospace industry and moved to Payson, Arizona so he and Judie could concentrate on their mobile home parks and
laundromat businesses. They sold their businesses and, at the Lord's
calling, retired to Licking, Missouri, in 2012.
Doug and Judie were married in 1963 and were blessed with 54 years;
sons Chuck (Amanda) of Nevada, Troy (Madaline) of New Mexico, Robert
Jr. of California, and foster son Joey Rose of Colorado; 7 grandchildren
and 1 great grandson. In addition to his immediate family, Doug is survived by a brother Raymond (Sandy) of California; sisters Mary Whitson of Arizona, Inez of California, Sylvia (Ron) Whittaker of Texas, Lorraine (Bob) Simpson of Missouri; 14 nieces and nephews.
