Verle Guthrie
Verle Eugene Guthrie of Highlands Ranch, CO, age 79, died February 22, 2023. A celebration of life and reception will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 13 at Horan & McConaty, 5303 E. County Line Road, Centennial, CO. Military honors will follow at Fort Logan National Cemetery. Donations may be made to Parkinson Association of the Rockies, 1325 S. Colorado Blvd. #204B, Denver, CO 80222.
Verle was a graduate of East High School (Lee Township Against the World!) in Des Moines. He also earned a BA in history from Simpson College in Indianola.
Verle served four years in the Air Force at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ, achieving the rank of Sergeant E4. He followed Air Force service with a 30-year career in telecommunications beginning with Northwestern Bell in Des Moines until 1994, and then with U.S. West and Qwest in Denver, CO. After retiring in 2000 from Qwest, Verle worked for two companies supporting the telephone industry and retired in 2006.
He married Helen (Larkin) Guthrie in Des Moines in 1974. They have one daughter, Patti Kula (Jim) of Hopkinton.
Verle treasured his family, friends and neighbors, and they treasured him. He had a great sense of humor, liked to have fun, and was a kind-hearted and true friend. Little kids called him Uncle Verle or Grandpa Verle, related or not.
Verle was an avid reader and especially liked history, science fiction, and westerns. He enjoyed taking part in the annual Long’s Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival celebrating Celtic heritage. Verle and Helen spent many Christmas and summer vacations at their condominium in Estes Park, CO. They also shared a love of travel, especially motorcycle trips with a group of dear friends from the phone company days. They loved their cruises to Alaska and the Bahamas, and their visits to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and various other destinations “warm, with water.”
In addition to his wife and daughter, Verle is survived by his brother, Air Force Master Sergeant Retired LaVerne Arthur Guthrie, Jr. (Celia) of West Des Moines; his nephew, Paul Guthrie, and his children of West Des Moines; his niece, Amy (Daron) Guthrie Cox, and their children of Minneapolis, MN; and his cousins, Mike (Colleen) Adams of West Des Moines, Chrissy Marquis of Bremerton, WA, Janet Ginther of Thornton, CO and Frank (Lena) Norris of Sheffield.
Verle is also survived by his sister-in-law, Elaine (Brent) Rockwell Logan of Dubuque; his brothers-in-law, Michael (Janice) Larkin of Hanahan, SC, John (Sherry) Larkin and their daughters of Aurora, CO, Tom Larkin and his son of Lubbock, TX, and Brian (Sara) Larkin and their children of Robins. Verle is also survived by his nieces and nephews: Command Sergeant Major Timothy (Janet) Larkin of Charleston, SC, Miranda Larkin and Elthia Larkin of Aurora, CO and Sarah Knight of Pittsburgh, PA, John (Adrienne) Skeels of Roanoke, TX, Abigail Morales and her sons of Monroe, WI, Rachael (Matthew) Schmitt and their sons of Rosemount, MN, Katie (Tyler) Aller and their son of Martensdale, and John T. Larkin of Robins.
He is preceded in death by his parents, LaVerne Arthur Guthrie, Sr. and Opal F. (Murphy) Guthrie of Des Moines. He is also preceded in death by his father- and mother-in-law, Clement and Ramona Larkin of Waukon; and his nephew, Michael Larkin, and niece, Mary Ellen Larkin, of Goose Creek, SC.
A full obituary will appear in the March 8 edition of The Standard. You can subscribe to The Standard's print edition or e-edition by clicking here.
