George Guthrie, Sr.

George Thomson (Tom) Guthrie Sr, passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on August 21, 2022 at home with his family by his bedside. Tom was born on May 30, 1935 in Signal Mt, TN to his parents Gertrude Guthrie and John T (Tom) Guthrie. His older brother Bill Guthrie passed away before Tom. Tom is survived by his wife of 61.5 years, Janelle, his son Tom Jr., and his daughter Beth (Duncan Moss) and two grandchildren Garner Moss and Catherine Bergerson (Ryan Bergerson).

Everyone knew Tom to be a cheerful, generous man, who was quick to laugh and a loyal friend. He also loved to meet new people. He graduated from Baylor Military High School in Chattanooga in 1953, then went on to Georgia Tech to earn a BSE in Mechanical Engineering in 1957. In 1963, after marrying, and with a 6-month-old baby in tow, he took a risk and went to work with his dad. The new company was called JT Guthrie & Son. He built the company up and then went on to form Guthrie Sales and Service. He was an excellent salesman and followed through doing service for many years on the products he sold. He “retired” in 2010 after working for nearly 50 years selling water and wastewater treatment equipment.

Outside of his business and work life, Tom was devoted to his kids and grandkids, as well as to his extended family. He and Janelle met in Tulsa and were finally married in 1961, after he had proposed to her 3 times. He was proud of and loved to celebrate his family’s accomplishments and was always ready with a giant-sized hug.

He was an avid tennis player, playing for Baylor and through college. He played in tennis tournaments, winning many in Nashville, and he loved playing tennis and golf with friends at his beloved Hilton Head SC.  His golfing nickname was Cross Cut.  Tom’s children and grandchildren grew up vacationing at Tom and Janelle’s home in Hilton Head over a period of nearly 50 years. They spent many vacations together and made wonderful memories. Tom loved almost all sports, and every summer for 6 years he took his grandson, who is on the autism spectrum, to a major league baseball game in a different city. These trips were a highlight for both of them. One of his granddaughter’s favorite memories was as her Pops’ “date” to Sperry’s.

As he got older, he loved watching nearly any sport, but especially football, tennis, and golf. A big thank you to all of his caregivers, especially Walter Long, Cindy De Lombaerde, Mary London, and Sara Nassiwa.

Anyone who met Tom remembers him as a man who smiled all the time and was always ready with a big “Hiiiii!” His family loved him and will miss him terribly. There will be a celebration of life get together in the early fall. Instead of flowers, Tom’s family requests that he be honored with a donation to Graceworks Ministries, Inc. at https://www.graceworksministries.net/  or to Retrieving Independence, training service dogs for people with autism and other neurological conditions, https://riservicedogs.org/