Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting Remembered for Her Selfless Service and Kindness

Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting, 29, was tragically struck and killed while standing outside her patrol vehicle on southbound State Route 509 near the Port of Tacoma Road while responding to a collision. Now, colleagues and friends are honoring her as a selfless public servant whose dedication to others began long before her career in law enforcement.

Washington State Patrol (WSP) Chief John Batiste described Guting as “a fantastic young lady, doing a heck of a job on behalf of the citizens.”

Born in Honolulu, Guting graduated from Mililani High School and later served eight years in the Army National Guard as a signals intelligence analyst. After completing the police academy about a year ago, she joined the Washington State Patrol and was assigned to the Tacoma area.

Batiste noted that Guting and her husband, Timothy Guting—a deputy state fire marshal with the WSP Fire Training Academy in North Bend—shared a deep dedication to public service.

“Both very young people, very vibrant, and both love the Washington State Patrol and the jobs that they signed up for,” Batiste said.

Friends and former coworkers in Hawaii recall Guting’s selfless nature long before she entered the military or law enforcement.

“She was always someone who was very selfless and always put other people first before herself,” said Christopher Govea, a former high school classmate who worked with Guting at the YMCA of Honolulu. “I always saw her as a leader.”

Govea remembered working closely with Guting at the YMCA, where she regularly interacted with children and colleagues with kindness and support.

“She was always a very kind, sweet person, always fun to be around,” Govea said. “She was always someone who was very supportive of anyone with whatever you do.”

He added that many of the young people who knew her during that time are now older and will likely feel her loss deeply.

“Nothing but positive stuff that I have of her,” Govea said. “All my memories of her being able to work with her is nothing but good.”