WSP Trooper Tara Guting remembered for compassion, service and joy
Tara-Marysa Guting was more than just a Washington State Patrol trooper.
She was a doting wife and supportive sister, a dedicated best friend who always offered a shoulder to cry on, a proud pet mom and a lover of video games, fishing and crochet.
These were just some aspects of Guting’s vibrant personality that loved ones shared during her memorial service at Life Center Central Campus on Saturday.
Guting died on duty the night of Dec. 19 after being struck by a car while investigating a crash on state Route 509. She is one of 34 WSP troopers to die in the line of duty in the agency’s 105 years of service.
Prior to joining the state patrol, the 29-year-old from Honolulu, Hawaii, served in the Army National Guard for eight years as a Signals Intelligence Analyst. During that time in August 2019, she married her husband, Timothy.
Her lifelong dream of joining law enforcement was fulfilled in January 2024, when she joined the Washington State Patrol. She served in District One in Tacoma with the badge number 720, a WSP press release said.
Her colleagues remember her as an enthusiastic coworker who took the time to make sure everyone around her felt seen.
“Her attitude was infectious, and it just spread like wildfire through everybody that she worked with,” said WSP Sergeant Tyler Gold, a classmate of Guting’s who spent their first year as troopers in Tacoma. “It felt like every other day she was bringing some sort of gift or Hawaiian snacks to literally every single person in the building where we worked, just to spread a bit of joy.”
Gold recalled an incident a few months ago where Guting came to help a car disabled on the side of the road that needed to be towed. The car’s driver was flat broke and couldn’t afford the cost of towing. If the car was impounded, he would lose his only means of transportation.
Without hesitation, Guting pulled out her wallet and paid the complete stranger’s tow fee on the spot, an example of her unfailing kindness, Gold said.
Guting’s best friend Lily Guerrero met her for the first time at a party when she was sitting alone, scared to talk with anyone. Before Guerrero could muster the courage to get up and talk to people, Guting sat right next to her and started a conversation.
From there a beautiful friendship emerged, and whenever the two had time for each other they made the most of it, playing video games for hours, reading books together and wandering random markets.
“Tara was the person I could sit in silence with and feel completely, deeply comfortable,” Guerrero said. “[Tara] made the world feel softer, more funny and exceedingly more manageable just by being in it.”
Guting was a big fan of the Disney character Stitch, who her siblings say exemplified her boundless energy and small-but-mighty attitude.
There’s a famous quote from the movie “Lilo and Stitch”: “Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind.” Guting lived her life by that sentiment, going the extra mile to show unconditional love and inclusion, her sister Shannen Tanaka said.
“We know you did not leave us behind,” Tanaka said. “You remain bound to us by a love that does not end, walking with us just beyond our sight until the day we are able to be together again.”
The Incident
Guting was investigating an unrelated crash near milepost two on SR-509 the night of Dec. 19 when she was struck by a car and thrown into the right lane, police say.
A dark-colored pickup truck then struck Guting while she was incapacitated and drove away without stopping, police said.
The first vehicle’s driver remained on the scene and wasn’t arrested, Chris Loftis, WSP’s director of public affairs, previously said.
The Tacoma Police Department recently impounded a vehicle believed to be the second car.
The incident is still under investigation.
Authorities encourage anyone who witnessed the collisions or have dash camera footage from southbound SR-509 near Port Tacoma Road between 7:20 p.m. and 7:30 p.m to contact Crime Stoppers.
This story was originally published December 27, 2025 at 4:07 PM.
