Dolly Rita Marik McGarrah Guthrie     May 17, 1935 – August 16, 2021

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Dolly Della Rita McGarrah Guthrie.  She was preceded in death by her older sisters Martha, Jean, Ann, and Millie and brothers Ernest and Charles. She is survived by her two sons Craig III and Kirk plus grandchildren Kyle, Caleb and Claire and her sisters Lil, Joanie, and Justine plus 16 overseas / stateside nieces and nephews.

One of her overseas nephews called her a Lady and she truly was one.   She was born in North Texas and lived on a ranch with her large family of 12.    After High School, she attended and graduated from the University of Texas.  One of her older sisters helped her get her first job in Houston at a 5 and 10 cent store at the Houston Children's Museum not too far from where she lived.    Settling in Houston, she met and married Craig W. McGarrah and gave birth to two sons she adored.  Being part of a 10-sibling large family, she took part in many family get togethers over the decades all over Texas.

In the early 1970s, Dolly decided to become a travel agent, and she travelled to over 100 countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Itay, Spain, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Egypt, Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, Vietnam, Nepal, and South Africa. She had many special memories of a visit to Iran with sister Millie during the days of the Shah while sister Justine was living there.  She was an avid golfer and played on golf courses in many different countries.  She took many cruises including a Transatlantic crossing and in the Mediterranean Sea as well as to Alaska and along the Canadian Pacific coast with her family and grandsons.

She visited her oldest son when he was working in Nigeria and Zambia.  In the later part of her life, she took cruises with her oldest son in the Caribbean including through the Panama Canal and to Antarctica, starting off in Brazil and traveling via Uruguay, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, and Chile.  As a travel agent, she often arranged Houston Channel 13 TV station travel arrangements, including for sports announcer Bob Allen and political reporter Marvin Zindler.  She participated in their charity golf tournaments for a couple of decades.  She went with Marvin Zindler and his team to Vietnam and reunited a couple of small children with their family in Houston.

Later in life, Dolly married a second time to a local Houstonian and retired petroleum engineer Wright Guthrie.  The couple lived very happily until he passed away.  She was very happy to start a grandmother role and proud of her three grandchildren.  Supporting them whenever she could, she was around for their different sports and military activities.  Watching Kyle become a Marine, Caleb attending University of Houston, and Claire cheering Varsity for a Cypress, Tx. high school was a gift to her.   Education was important to her so supporting her two sons at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston and then Vanderbilt University, University of Houston, and Texas A&M University was a passion.  She would laugh along with her large family with the first Texas Aggie, Kirk, in their Burnt Orange UT family.

Per her wishes, Dolly was cremated and buried in Houston National Cemetery with her first husband, who served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.  We miss her.