Reginald GUTHRIE

GUTHRIE _ Reginald Franklin, 1915-2002. Our father, grandfather and friend, Reg Guthrie, gave his Last Orders June 6, 2002 and is sorely missed. Predeceased by his wife Emily Rose (Cooke) in 1978 (a loss he endured but never forgot) and his brothers and sisters, Anne, Don, Doug, Blanche and Archie; he is survived by his children, Anne Guthrie Warman, Ian, James and his wife Carolle, and Margot Ellen Guthrie; his beloved grandchildren Jake and Rebecca Warman, their father Alister Warman and Meghan and Bronwen Guthrie, their mother Donna Guthrie; nephews Ivor Thomas, Don Guthrie, Jack, Jim, Laurie and Doug Guthrie and their mother Laura; his friend Patricia Reid, his buddy Dick Graham and those of his peers who are friends, companions and members of his regiment and clubs with the constitutions to yet prevail. Reg was born December 27, 1914 at Maryfield Sask., the youngest of the 6 children of John and Maude (Craig) Guthrie. He is the last of them. He early suffered the loss of his parents in 1916 and 1919 and his brother Archie, a squadron leader with the RAF, in action over the English Channel, December 18, 1939. He and his brothers and sisters were raised by his capable Aunts in the town of Reston in the prolific farmland of the Pipestone Valley in S.W. Manitoba. He was a farmboy, scholar, musician (he continued to play his Alto Sax "Lucille" until he was 80) and athlete. He was educated at schools and college at Reston, Brandon (where he played one season of junior hockey for the Wheat Kings) and Winnipeg. He aspired to be a doctor but this ambition was thwarted by the onset of WW II. He joined the Bank of Montreal in 1936 and was happy to have work in those desperate times. He continued with the Bank until his retirement in 1977 except for his war service. He enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1939 and after officer training was commissioned a Lieutenant in the regiment of the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards. He went overseas in 1942 and after mobilization in England and North Africa chased the despicable foe through the boot of Italy past Monte Cassino and Ortona, through Rome (where he acquired an abiding affection for Italy, Italian and Italians) and eventually on to action in the Netherlands where he was at Armistice. He was discharged with the rank of Captain in 1946. He held no grudge and said that all soldiers, no matter of which side or of what colour or place bled red the same. He was, in this regard of service, courageous and resilent. After German surrender in Amsterdam in 1945 he and the sergeant of his company attempted to rescue a Jewish German merchant seaman deserter from execution by the German POW authorities. Their efforts were frustrated by order of an officer of another Canadian regiment. He bore witness to this on a CBC Fifth Estate documentary. He maintained contact with his regiment and his comrades until his end. After his discharge he married and returned to work at the bank where he had a productive and distinguished career as a manager and executive. This work took him and his family to postings in Winnipeg, Brandon, Montreal, New Westminster, Nanaimo and Vancouver. He was a member of the Vancouver Golf Club and the Vancouver Club and formerly, the St. Charles Golf Club and Fort Garry Club in Winnipeg. He built a cabin cruiser and attended the power squadron. He golfed on Sundays and sent his young children to church as his reverent proxies. He purchased a farm in the foothills of Mt. Baker and raised grade cattle, bellicose muscovy ducks, pheasants and chickens, painted the outbuildings and grew vegetables and fruit for the plentiful farm table. After Emily's death he joined the Canadian Executive Service Overseas and took 2 postings as an advisor to the Bank of Antigua in that country. He traveled to Europe, India, Maylasia, Australia, Hong Kong and China. He was a student of history and read much biography. Reg was a modest man who preferred others interests before his own. He was a loyal friend and generous father and grandfather. He disliked sanctimony and cant and admired skill and honesty. His thought was logical, his discourse articulate, his correspondence lucid. He was a patriot. We bid him adieu. We thank the physicians, nurses and staff at the George Derby Centre, the dialysis unit at the Royal Columbian Hospital and the palliative care unit at St. Mary's Hospital. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Kidney Foundation of Canada BC Branch would be appreciated. We will honour his life at the chapel of the Unitarian Church at 941 W.49th Street, Vancouver, on Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 3:00 P.M.