Janet Kathleen Guthrie (Gordon): July, 13, 1934 – January, 19, 2026

Janet Kathleen Guthrie (Gordon), 91, passed away peacefully in her Seattle home on January 19th, 2026.

She was born to James and Kathleen Gordon in Sacramento, California on July 13, 1934. While she described her upbringing with her twin brother James and sister Miriam in modest terms, at C.K. McClatchey High School she walked the halls with the likes of Joan Didion and Anthony Kennedy, her engaging spirit on display. After graduation she went to nursing school for a year, followed by a wedding to her love Don – a marriage that would last nearly 70 years. While raising two children in Corvallis, Oregon, she resumed her educational journey with determination, ultimately graduating with a B.A. in Anthropology from California State Northridge and a nursing degree from UCLA (magna cum laude).

Settled in Sherman Oaks, California, she built an esteemed nursing career beginning at the UCLA Medical Center perinatal unit and later the Director of Perinatal and Gynecological Nursing at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. She finished her professional career as part of the State of California Newborn Screening Program.

As retirement approached, she and Don traveled extensively, eventually settling on Bainbridge Island, WA. Janet traded the hospital halls for evenings at the symphony or the opera, and when not spoiling her grandkids, Janet would be found outside in her beloved garden. No one left her house without fresh baked cookies or a full heart, and no family tradition was missed. She could make everything perfect while warm and welcoming.

Janet was preceded in death by her parents, her siblings, and her husband Don. She is survived by her children Don (Candace) and Sarah (Jon), her grandchildren C.J. (Ryan), Donald “Jack” (Stephanie), and McCage (Jennifer), and her great-grandchildren Corin and Rhys.