Robert L. Guthrie

1936 - 2017

Robert L. Guthrie

January 19, 1936 - June 7, 2017

Chapel Hill

Robert L. Guthrie died June 7, 2017, with his wife and two daughters at his side.

Bob was born January 19, 1936 in Kansas City, Missouri. His fondest childhood memories revolved around listening to live swing and jazz bands, who came to the Play-Mor, Kansas City's famed ballroom owned by his grandfather. Bob received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1959. He remained a proud JayHawk and member of Kappa Sigma fraternity his whole life. While working at IBM, he studied law at night at the University of Denver, receiving his Juris Doctor and license to practice law in 1968.

Bob insisted he made the best decision of his life on August 18, 1957, when he met Pickett Kendall Murray at a wedding in Atlanta. He proposed by the end of the weekend, although it took two years and many road trips from Kansas City to Raleigh to get a "Yes" answer. Pickett and Bob were married on February 27, 1960 and had two daughters. Over the years, the family lived in Denver, Colorado and Princeton, New Jersey, before settling in Raleigh in 1975.

After 11 years with IBM, Bob joined Associated Insurers, a North Carolina insurance brokerage firm. He soon became President. Over a 35 year career, he led the company through several mergers. His skills in law, engineering and finance led to a wide client base all across the southeast. He took pride in finding creative solutions to complex businesses issues – from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to start-up biotech companies. During a long career, Bob led the company through complex mergers and took pride in being one of the first companies in the region to provide an Employee Stock Option Plan. He was a leader in the national insurance industry, earning his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter credential in 1977 and serving on the board of directors of Intersure, an international association of leading insurance brokerage firms. He retired in 2002, after leading another merger negotiation with Branch Bank and Trust (BB&T) Insurance Holdings, now ranked the 5th largest insurance brokerage firm in the country. In 1988, Bob helped found Triangle Bank which grew into Centura Bank, later Royal Bank of Canada (RBC Centura), and now Pittsburgh National Bank, PNC. In 2006, he helped start Capstone Bank, recently sold to Yadkin Bank.

Bob's civic life was equally active. He served on many boards, including The Capital area YMCA, Meals on Wheels Raleigh, The English Speaking Union, the Family Health International Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce, The Council for Entrepreneurial Development. During retirement, he coached small business entrepreneurs through SCORE. He had particular affection for the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, serving as its treasurer for many years.

His greatest civic satisfaction came through many years on the board of Planned Parenthood. Recruited to that board in 1978, he contributed financial acumen and provided the new organization with important "respectability" within the business community. As the father of two independent-minded daughters and granddaughters, he became a quiet but strong advocate for women's health and self-determination. He helped shepherd Raleigh's local Planned Parenthood chapter toward strong business practices, including several mergers. Today, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic is one of the largest in the U.S.

In 2013, Bob and Pickett opened a new chapter in their marriage by moving to a retirement community in Chapel Hill. At Carolina Meadows, they added to a long history of making and keeping friends. Neighbors saw first-hand the courage and dignity Bob mustered to deal with the challenges of declining health due to Parkinson's disease. Pickett and Bob are grateful to friends in Chapel Hill and Raleigh for unflagging support and camaraderie in this final journey.

Bob is survived by his wife of 57 years, Pickett Murray Guthrie, daughter Polly Mitchell-Guthrie and her wife Rebecca Mitchell-Guthrie of Apex, daughter Kendall Guthrie and son-in-law Eric Honea of Seattle, and two granddaughters, Katriona Ruth Guthrie-Honea and Anthea Pauline Guthrie-Honea.

A memorial service will be held in the Auditorium at Carolina Meadows on Saturday, July 8 at 10 AM.

Anyone wishing to honor Bob's life may make a tax-deductible contribution to the Employee Appreciation Fund at Carolina Meadows (100 Carolina Meadows, Chapel Hill, NC 27517) or the Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (100 South Boylan Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27603).