Obituary of Walter C. Guthrie Jr.

Pavilion ~ Walter C. Guthrie Jr., age 79, of Lake Street Road, passed away Sunday morning, April 16, 2017. He was born November 4, 1937 in Warsaw, a son of the late Walter Chapin (farmer) and Lura Sawdon (homemaker and music teacher) Guthrie Sr. Walter graduated from Pavilion Central School in 1956, where he was the Chess Team Captain and champion and achieved "Eagle Scout" in the Boy Scouts of America. He continued his education at Cornell University, where he graduated in 1960 with a B.S. in Agriculture Economics. He then entered the Army, where he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (2LT) in 1960. He also served as Platoon Commander in Korea. Upon leaving the military, Walter became a pilot and flight instructor and held all aviation licenses except for jets. He amassed over 6,600 hours as a pilot and flight instructor, until chronic health issues ended his career. He was a member of the LeRoy United Methodist Church, where he served on the board of trustees, the NRA and the American Legion Post #0567. He was also very involved in his community; singing in the church choir, serving as president of the Pavilion Little League(1984) and umpiring high school baseball games. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his wife, Linda Buhl Guthrie in 1981 and his son, George Bradley Guthrie in 1987. He is survived by his children; David (Lynett) Guthrie of Colorado, Theodore (Ditha) Guthrie of Vienna, Austria, Brandy (Chet) Miller of Basom, Jeremy (Misse) Hood of Attica, and Chapin (Betsy) Guthrie of LeRoy; his grandchildren, Matthew, Feyza, Noah, Chris, Greg, Kimberly, Hayden, Kala, Vinzent, Stacee and Rachel, and two great grandchildren; his companion, Beverly Hess of LeRoy, along with many dear friends. Family and friends may call on Friday, April 21 from 12 ~ 2 PM and Saturday, April 22 from 10 AM ~ 12 PM at the Falcone Family Funeral & Cremation Service Inc., 8700 Lake Road (Rt. 19), LeRoy. His Memorial Service with military honors will be held on Saturday, May 13 at 1:00 PM at the LeRoy United Methodist Church, 10 Trigon Park, LeRoy. Private interment will be held in Mountain Ash Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to LeRoy United Methodist Church, Pavilion United Methodist Church, Pavilion Fire Dept. or the American Heart Association.