Kendra Larae Guthrie

Kendra Larae Guthrie

MEDFORD, Massachusetts -- Kendra LaRae Guthrie, 30, of Medford, Massachusetts, passed away Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013.

She was preceded in death by her father, Kent Guthrie; her grandmother, Frances Waddell and grandparents, Laverne and Barbara Guthrie.

She is survived by her mother, Jeralyn Guthrie and brother, Erik Guthrie (Jill), of Arvada, Colorado; her grandfather, James Waddell of McCook, Nebraska; a niece and nephew, Kyra and Lucas and many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Kendra was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and grew up in Arvada, Colorado. She graduated from Arvada West High School in 2001. She enjoyed classical music and was a violinist in her high school orchestra. As a color guard team member, she was a joy to watch spinning the flags, sabres, and rifles at many Winter Guard International performances around the country.

Her love of animals led her to study at Colorado State University and to graduate with honors from BelRea Institute of Animal Technology. She held animal care related jobs in Boulder, Colorado, for a time and then, after moving to the east coast to venture out for new perspectives, she landed in Boston, Massachusetts. She immediately began work for Tufts University Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine and became an Animal Care Technologist. Her work at Tufts inspired her to again pursue her dream to further her education and obtain her bachelor's degree, and as such, she enrolled in evening classes at Harvard, where she had been attending for more than a year.

Kendra had a great love of reading books and had many storytine ideas for her own fiction writing. Her spare time would consist of a cup of tea at her side, a kitty on her lap, and her kindle in hand. Kendra enjoyed staying busy, staying fit, and looking for new adventures. She loved going for walks and taking pictures of nature and the world around her.

A memorial prayer service was Dec. 10, 2013, at the Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary Chapel in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and a memorial celebration of life was Jan. 10, 2014, by her fellow employees at Tufts in Boston.