Rita Guthrie, 70, of Whitehall, Pennsylvania, passed away on March 21, 2026, in the comfort of hospice care surrounded by love.

Born Rita Shiffman on August 11, 1955 in Brooklyn, NY, she was the daughter of the late Sidney J. Shiffman and Maxine (Adler) Shiffman. Her family later relocated to New Hartford, New York, and she graduated from New Hartford Senior High School in 1973. 

Rita attended SUNY Geneseo, where she graduated with a B.A. in studio art. While studying at Geneseo she met her future husband, Tom. Rita and Tom were married in Asbury Park, New Jersey on July 4, 1982. They spent 43 wonderful years raising a loving family together.

Rita began her career as a systems analyst in Fort Monmouth, NJ. After taking time off to raise her children, she began a second career as the “Idea Lady” in 2005. As the founder and owner of Open Door Public Relations, she spent more than 20 years working with small businesses throughout the Lehigh Valley. At her Coffee Talk events, people gathered to share ideas and make connections. In recent years, she worked with colleagues to curate a series of books highlighting inspiring stories of local leaders in the Lehigh Valley. Meeting new friends and connecting people brought her great joy.

Rita loved to sing, whether at home with her children–and later her grandchildren, as part of the choir at Congregation Keneseth Israel, or singing barbershop music with the Lehigh Valley Chorus of the Sweet Adelines, where she made lifelong friends. 

Above all else, Rita loved her family. She instilled in her children her lifelong passion for art, music, dancing, and theater, bringing them to musical and stage performances throughout the Lehigh Valley and surprising the family with “mystery bus rides” to museums in New York and Philadelphia. She filled her home with books which she read with great joy to her children and grandchildren. Rita encouraged her children to try new things, and was always there to help support and guide them into becoming successful adults.

Rita loved to travel with Tom and the family, including a 70th birthday trip to Skytop Lodge with her children and grandchildren. In recent years, Rita and Tom’s travels to Europe reconnected her with her French heritage and brought back fond memories of speaking French with her grandmother as a child. 

She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Tom Guthrie, and their three children: Benjamin (Sheena), Daniel (Amanda Strauss), and Delia (Ava Etemadi) Guthrie, and grandchildren Beatrice, Rebecca, Jacob, Liana, and Maia. She is also survived by her sister, Naomi Shiffman, her brother, David Shiffman, and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Services: Memorial 2 PM Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at Bachman, Kulik & Reinsmith Funeral Home, 17th & Hamilton Streets, Allentown. Calling hours will be held from 12-2 PM Tuesday, March 24, 2026 in the funeral home. www.BKRFH.com. Shiva will be held Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-7 PM at the family home.