Guthrie
Aug. 23, 1918 to April 23, 2006,
age 87.
Louise was born to Capt. John C. and Leah (Pratt) Hansen in Pleasant Valley (Bellingham), Washington, as the second of four children. Her brother, Cedric, and sisters, Elaine Mae Hansen and Donna Levin, preceded her in death.
Louise met, and married, John Guthrie in Seattle in 1941. They located in Burien where they spent the rest of their lives, briefly living in Tucson, Ariz., from 1949 to 1951. Together, they raised five boys, Bill (Monica), Bob (Ellen), Don, Dick (Gayle), and David (Monica). All are currently living in Washington state. In addition to her sons, she is survived by eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, a brother-in-law (Jack Levin of Long Island, N.Y.), several nieces and nephews and “hundreds” of cousins.
Louise attended the University of Washington and graduated as a registered nurse from Swedish Hospital in Seattle. She worked as a nurse in Ketchikan, Alaska; Swedish Hospital, Seattle; Tucson, Ariz.; Burien Hospital (now Highline Medical Center) and finally at Wesley Homes in Des Moines. Her husband, John, spent 35 years driving Greyhound buses. Additionally, they had a dump truck business for several years in south King County.
She loved to travel. Louise and John traveled to Japan, Italy, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, and circumnavigated the United States in their fifth-wheeler. Several winters were spent “snow birding” in Arizona to avoid the cold, wet northwest winters. She contracted Parkinson’s disease, later re-diagnosed as PSP (progressive super nuclear palsy), and eventually succumbed to it. Even when stricken she continued to travel and go to as many Highland Games as possible to watch her sons and grandchildren perform, playing bagpipes and drums. After John’s passing in 1998, Louise continued to travel on cruise ships to Alaska and Hawaii. She always wanted to be on the move.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Wesley Homes and Health Center for their skills, care and compassion exhibited for the last several years. And also the members of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Kent for their continued spiritual support. These last few years have proved to be a very difficult journey for Louise.
Services were conducted at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Kent on April 28, 2006, with burial at Mountain View Cemetery in Auburn, where she was reunited with John.
