Friends of Nancy Guthrie Speak Out Amidst Optimism in Ongoing Situation

Friends of Savannah Guthrie, the Today show host, have come forward to speak about the unsettling disappearance of her mother, who was supposed to meet them on the morning she was abducted.

After an evening of dinner and games with her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy Guthrie vanished from her $1 million residence in Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of February 1. This occurred after they dropped her off at home.

The 84-year-old had just enjoyed a birthday celebration with her closest friends two days prior to her disappearance.

As Nancy bid farewell to her friends, she had confirmed plans to join them for a New York City church service viewing at a friend’s house the following Sunday, shared Anne Burnson with The New York Times.

Their gathering, complete with communion grape juice and wafers, was meant to feature the same service Savannah had attended that morning, as reported by the outlet.

But come 11am, ever-punctual Nancy was nowhere to be seen. After making multiple attempts to contact their dear friend, they called Nancy’s eldest daughter, Annie. 

However, Annie arrived to find her mother’s home empty, as the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance enters its second week. 

Now, Nancy’s friends are forced to remind themselves that their friend may still return home alive. ‘Nancy was – is,’ they caught themselves saying, the Times reported. 

Friends of Nancy Guthrie, 84, recall the sharp-minded and kind woman they knew as they remind themselves to refer to her in the present tense

Nancy was set to meet her friends on the morning of her disappearance to watch a New York City church service on Sunday February 1 at 11am

Remembered for her never-ending kindness in supporting her family and friends, Nancy was also described by colleagues from her time at the University of Arizona as a skilled communicator who never chased publicity

As the search for the beloved mother continues, while troubling details and a third ransom note surfaces, her friends are trying to stay optimistic and instead focusing their minds on positive memories. 

Burnson, 66, who has known Nancy for 42 years, warmly recalled seeing enormous joy in her friend’s eyes whenever they met. 

‘I keep thinking about every time I’d go in the kitchen door, and she’d be sitting there at the counter, just how her eyes would always light up as soon as she saw me,’ Burnson told the outlet. 

‘That’s when you know you have a real friend.’

Nancy’s teachings in Bible study classes introduced her to her now-longtime friend Vicki Edwards. Friends said that Nancy was able to lead classes in such a way that it applied to every day life. 

‘She’s been a mentor and a teacher and someone that’s really quietly shaped the lives of countless people here,’ Edwards said. 

The pair met in 1987 at one of Nancy’s Bible study classes. Now, 68-year-old Edwards hosts their church service screenings, she told the outlet. 

Remembered for her never-ending kindness in supporting her family and friends, Nancy was also described by colleagues from her time at the University of Arizona as a skilled communicator who never chased publicity. 

As the search for the beloved mother continues, while troubling details and a third ransom note surfaces, her friends are trying to stay optimistic and instead focusing their minds on positive memories

Nancy Guthrie seen with her daughter Today show host Savannah  Guthrie

Nancy’s friends know her to be a lively woman, fond of the outdoors and often playing tennis, hiking or partaking in spin classes. She would often cook for her friends or catch a movie at an art house cinema

Nancy worked as a journalist at The Daily Territorial before moving on to work at the university. 

Jacqueline Sharkey, a former colleague of hers, told the Times that Nancy was a fierce advocate who campaigned with her to save a poison-information center in the 90s. 

The effort, spearheaded by Sharkey, succeeded after collecting 20,000 signatures and urging Arizona politicians to block threats to shut the center down, she told the outlet. 

In 2007, Nancy moved on from her job at the university and spent years on an advisory committee for the journalism school. 

Dave Cuillier, a former director of the school, told the outlet that Nancy was the kind of person who would keep him ‘in check.’ 

‘She was quick to correct me,’ he told the outlet. ‘She was just one of those people who you really appreciated getting to work with.’

Nancy’s friends know her to be a lively woman, fond of the outdoors and often playing tennis, hiking or partaking in spin classes. She would often cook for her friends or catch a movie at an art house cinema. 

Overtime, however, she began struggling with her mobility and even said to a friend, Kris Federhar, that she wasn’t comfortable climbing up movie theater stairs anymore. 

Nancy had a pacemaker and was reliant on daily medication, and also began using a cane and relying on hearing aids. As aging began to limit her, she began opting to stay home more often than not. 

Yet, friends said that her age and physical challenges did not stop her. She continued on having a busy social life, including monthly book clubs, and she was as sharp-minded as ever, the outlet reported.