Dr. Charles Dudley "Dee" Guthrie

Dr. Charles Dudley (“Dee”) Guthrie passed away on Saturday, September 2 at the age of 80. A husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, former biology professor at Jefferson State Community College, avid hunter-fisherman, and Auburn football fan, he lived life doing what he loved and spending time with those he loved. Born on February 3, 1943, as the only child of Charles and Edna Guthrie, Dee was the first in his family to go to university and held a doctorate in entomology from Auburn University. He taught at Jefferson State Community College and collected wasps for pharmaceutical purposes for almost 40 years. He traveled to all 50 states and over 20 countries, hunting and fishing in most of them. Dee is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marilyn, their daughter, Julie Vitalo and her husband John, granddaughters Audrey Vitalo, Charlotte Vitalo, and Busi Sibeko, siblings Brenda Fields, Treva Lackey (Lellwyn), and Terry Gaither (Vonnie), sister-in-law Sylvia Wood (Bob), and many nieces and nephews. His granddaughter Audrey wrote the following:

Dee loved with a depth like very few do. He loved by spending hours teaching me how to shoot a bow, drive a car, waterski, and spot wasps’ nests from a river boat (none of which I’m any good at – my own fault). He loved by sharing stories about family lore and all the scrapes he got into, including trespassing on a moonshiner’s still and narrowly escaping in one piece. He loved by cheering for my JV basketball team so loudly that the referee almost threw him out of the gym, and then after we won the tournament by greeting every girl on my team with a single rose. He loved by taking me fishing countless times (even though he could never get me to fly fish) and once, hunting. He loved by traveling to New York – a city he was never a fan of – after a shoulder surgery to celebrate my engagement. He loved by taking me to hunt for Native American artifacts all over Alabama and by having some of those arrowheads and beads turned into jewelry. He loved by letting me tote around a wild box turtle for a day as my new “pet,” although he later secretly released it and told me, “It ran away.” He loved by showing me over and over how to filet a fish and by cutting watermelon into quarters and serving it on individual cookie trays on summer days, eating his quarter with salt. He loved by always dressing up in costumes and getting into character for our family plays, murder mysteries, and every other silly event. He loved by making up his own songs and dances during our COVID-induced family “spirit week,” including one about “corn squeezin’.” He loved by volunteering for my 7th grade biology class when we dissected frogs, which was (stupidly) embarrassing when I was 12, but he did it anyway. He loved by swimming across his lake with me once every summer, always the highlight of those months. He loved by letting me fall asleep on his shoulders as a little girl, pulling his earlobes until they turned red, but he never complained. He loved by saving his favorite wines to drink together and by sharing his favorite novels, pages falling out because he cracked the spines so much. He loved by driving his truck “rollercoaster” down the steep hill from his house, letting it speed down until hitting the brakes at the last second. He loved by showing my sister and me his and our grandmother’s special place, Alaska, and ensuring we had the trip of a lifetime. Dee loved with the surest, unshakable love, and that love knew no bounds. For the countless ways that Dee loved me, he loved each of his family members and friends in a million more, eclipsed only by his love for his wife and daughter.

Dee’s celebration of life will be held on Friday, September 8 at Rocky Hollow Farms (2939 Hambrick Dr., Boaz, AL) from 11am-3pm. Come dressed in your best Auburn or hunting/fishing gear. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Jefferson State Community College scholarships fund. You can donate online at www.jeffersonstate.edu/donate-paypal/. Please check “scholarships” and in the designation box, note that the donation is in memory of Dr. Guthrie.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutstrussvillechapel.com for the "Dee" Guthrie family.