Kerry Guthrie was most comfortable in her Levi’s and a pair of boots, wearing a blue striped work shirt and one of her signature hats. And if she happened to be at My Favorite Automotive on DeKalb Avenue at the same time, all was right with her world, her friends and co-workers said
Co-owner of the auto repair shop, Ms. Guthrie was well acquainted with a what was under the hood of a car or truck.
“She started tinkering as a kid on the farm,” said Ellen Baskin, a friend and customer. “She was Ms. Curious about everything.”
Ms. Guthrie’s curiosities led her to a career in auto repair, but on the business side. She knew how to work on cars and trucks but at My Favorite, she was mostly behind the counter, said Reggie Higgins who co-owned the shop with Ms. Guthrie.
“She knew the name of everyone who walked in here,” he said.
“And their kids,” added Missy Henslee, the shop’s business manager.
The customers and the people who worked at My Favorite were her world, even when she became so ill she could barely function.
“There were days she couldn’t get out of bed, but she’d say, ‘If I could just get to work,’” recalled Ms. Baskin.
As Ms. Guthrie’s health continued to deteriorate, her trips to the shop became few and far between, but the business rolled on. Even after she died on Oct. 7, those operating the air hoses and power tools didn’t rest.
Kerry Elizabeth Guthrie suffered from multiple forms of cancer for more than three years, friends said. She was 44. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at A.S. Turner & Sons, Decatur. A graveside service will be held in her childhood home of Tazewell, Tenn., at 3 p.m. Sunday, where her ashes will be buried at the Irish Cemetery. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Guthrie often stood out in the automotive repair industry because she was female, but she didn’t let that rarity slow her down.
“For Kerry it wasn’t proving that a woman could do something, it was proving that she could do something,” said her friend Julie Barron.
On a cloudy Thursday, two days before Ms. Guthrie’s memorial service, close friends and co-workers sat and stood around a table at My Favorite and mulled over the fate of the shop. It was unspoken that the shop would remain open, but the air was thick with grief and not much was said when the question was asked.
Finally, Ms. Barron said, “Of course the shop is going to stay open. That’s how Kerry would want it.”
“And she’ll be here everyday,” added Mr. Higgins. “She’ll always be in this place.”
Ms. Guthrie is survived by her mother Pat Fugate; sister Cindy Norris and brother Whitt Fugate, all of Tazewell, Tenn.
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