Rev. John Marshall Guthrie

The Rev. John Marshall Guthrie, 90, of Madison, died July 17 at his residence. He was born June 28, 1924 in Fulton, Missouri, to McKamie Phillips and Mabel (Pratt) Guthrie. On September 25, 1949, he married Lillian Alberta Buchanan at the Jefferson Presbyterian Church near Canaan. He graduated valedictorian and was summa cum laude at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in 1945, where he was also a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He was ordained into the ministry July 9, 1945 at Old Auxvasse Presbyterian Church of Kingdom City, Missouri. He attended Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, receiving a bachelor of Divinity in 1946 and a master degree in Theology and New Testament Greek in 1947. Afterwards, he received advanced study at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia where he became proficient in Portuguese, with reading knowledge of Spanish, French, German, Italian, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He received a certificate from the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church for 50 years of service as an ordained minister. He served churches in Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee, as well as giving more than 20 years of ministry in Brazil, South America. He also taught as a seminary professor in Austin, Texas and in Vitoria, Brazil. Upon retirement, he was the pastor at the Graham Presbyterian Church for four years. During retirement, he and his wife, Lillian returned to Brazil four times. The Guthries pioneered churches in industrial cities and in country towns in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Three Presbyteries which today support the ministry of more than 35 pastors in Brazil trace their origin to the Guthries’ efforts. Survivors include a daughter, Nancy Lynn Hastings of Hillsdale, Michigan; two sons, Robert Keith Guthrie of Madison, and John Marshall Guthrie, Jr. of Katy, Texas; six grandchildren, Reed Guthrie, Kathryn Guthrie, Hanna Guthrie, Benjamin Hastings, Cassandra Hastings and Colleen Hastings. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife and two brothers, Robert Guthrie and the Rev. Franc Guthrie. Services will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at the Jefferson Presbyterian Church, with a celebration meal to follow. Internment will at the Old Auxvasse Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Kingdom City, Missouri. The internment date has not yet been determined. Memorials can be made to the Jefferson Presbyterian Church.