Robert D. 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, Missouri. 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. A Visitation will be held 10:00am, Friday, October 6, 2017 in the Chapel at Greenwood Memory Lawn Mortuary, 719 N. 27th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009 with the Funeral Service beginning at 11:00am. Entombment will follow at Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery..