David Guthrie

Greenville, SC - David (Dave) Edward Guthrie, age 78, husband of Martha McDaniel Guthrie, passed away in Greenville, SC on January 2, 2021. Born September 16, 1942, in Henderson, Texas, Dave was the son of the late Reverend Dr. Claude Edward Guthrie and the late Verle Craver Guthrie.

He graduated from Greenville High School and Furman University. After serving two years in the U.S. Navy, he returned to Greenville, SC to work in communications at WYFF-TV for several years before transitioning to advertising. He also worked at WLOS-TV in Asheville, NC and was active in the Chamber of Commerce in Asheville. He was recruited to Dallas, Texas to serve as the Vice President of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, where he worked closely with KDFW-TV to promote business and tourism in the Dallas and Fort Worth areas. In 1983, he returned to Greenville and founded Guthrie & Associates, Inc., an advertising agency, where he served as president until his retirement in 2007. Over the years, Dave and his advertising agency earned numerous awards, including multiple Addy Awards. Dave served on several committees and boards in various professional organizations in Greenville, including the South Pleasantburg Drive Improvement Council and the Greenville Woodworker’s Guild. He was a member of Buncombe Street United Methodist Church.

One of Dave’s greatest talents was woodworking, and he made many fine pieces of furniture and intricate bird carvings that will be cherished and passed down in his family for generations. In his retirement, Dave had a passion for teaching children his woodworking skills and sharing his creations with others, including wooden toys which he made for The Meyer Center for Special Children. Dave had the most kind, cheerful and generous spirit and was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend.

Surviving in addition to his wife of over fifty years are one son, David Edward Guthrie, Jr., and his wife, Sarah Gurney Guthrie, of Greenville, S.C.; and one daughter, Meredith Guthrie Maxwell, and her husband, Pinckney Johnstone (John) Maxwell IV, of Charleston, S.C.; his brothers John Craver Guthrie (Margot) of Clearwater, Florida, and Mark Claude Guthrie (Joy) of Palm Harbor, Florida; and his five grandchildren: Eliza Catherine Guthrie, McDaniel West Guthrie, Madeleine McDaniel Maxwell, Pinckney Johnstone (Stone) Maxwell V and William Rivers Maxwell.

Special thanks to Dave’s compassionate caregivers over the past couple of years, including Mimi, Margarida, and Beth, Pathways Hospice, and the nurturing staff at Rolling Green Village Health Center for their loving care of Dave.

The memorial service will be at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church at 200 Buncombe Street, Greenville, SC 29601 on Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 11am. Guests attending in person must register at the following link located on the church’s website: www.buncombestreetumc.org/funerals. Guests are required to wear a mask and practice social distancing. A livestream of the service can be accessed using this same link for those wishing to attend virtually. The committal service will be at Hillcrest Memorial Park at 2410 Gentry Memorial Highway, Pickens, SC 29671 immediately following the memorial service.

At Dave’s request, in lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in honor of Dave’s son, David Guthrie, Jr., to The Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Duke University Medical Center (https://www.gifts.duke.edu/dukehealth/?designation=3912597) or in Dave’s memory to Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, 200 Buncombe Street, Greenville, SC 29601. Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the Guthrie family. Condolences may be expressed online at (www.dignitymemorial.com).