Not many people west of Portage County may be familiar with Don Guthrie.
But Don was very much to the Mahoning Valley as Dick Goddard is to the rest of Northeast Ohio, and sadly, Don lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Sunday night.
His long-time home station, now-Media General CBS affiliate WKBN/27, has more on his passing.
Despite battling a horrible disease, the same one that felled long-time Cleveland TV and radio sportscaster Casey Coleman, Don Guthrie worked as long as he possibly could…doing the 6 PM and 11 PM weather casts for “27 First News”, as he had for decades prior, into the year 2014. He made some appearances even after his cancer diagnosis was announced last May.
After that, the station visited him from time to time during cancer treatment in Columbus – as we recall, a location chosen for family reasons.
Like Dick Goddard and Cleveland’s WJW, Don Guthrie has been associated with the WKBN call letters for a long time.
He started at then-co-owned WKBN Radio in 1970 as an air personality and programmer of the FM side, and moved to TV 27 in 1980 doing weather on the News at Noon. Guthrie then moved to his familiar perch as the 6/11 PM forecaster.
Calling hours will be at Saint Christine Church on Schenley Avenue in Youngstown on Thursday from 3-7 PM, and a prayer service will be held there Friday at 10 AM. The family tells WKBN that both the calling hours and prayer service are open to the public…
I did not know the work of Don Guthrie, however I give my condolences. Who will be the next “Dean of Youngstown Weather”?