By James Tabafunda
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Credit: Washington State Patrol
The memorial service for Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting on Dec. 27 emphasized the Hawaiian concept of ohana—family bonds extending beyond blood to embrace unconditional inclusion. Held at Life Center Central Campus (LCCC) in Tacoma, the ceremony marked a minor change of traditional law enforcement memorial practices.
While WSP Honor Guard and Color Guard traditions—flag presentation, end-of-watch call, bell ceremony, and the playing of Taps—took place during the service, they served as accompaniment to the primary focus: celebrating Guting’s life as a person. Friends, family, and colleagues gathered to share personal stories about Guting, recounting how her approach to law enforcement embodied the ohana principle of seeing those she served as deserving dignity and protection.
Setting the tone for celebration
Credit: Washington State Patrol
Pastor Rodney Fujimoto of LCCC opened the service with its intended tone.
“We gather here today in the unity of one and the honor to celebrate the life of Tara-Marysa Guting,” he told the assembled mourners. “We cherish Tara’s love, her joy, her happiness, and her laughter that she shared with everyone in her life.”
She is survived by her husband, Timothy, a Deputy State Fire Marshal at WSP’s Fire Training Academy in North Bend.
Specific details
Guting, 29, died on the evening of Dec. 19 while investigating a traffic collision on southbound State Route 509, near the Port of Tacoma. She was struck by a vehicle just before 7:30 p.m. while standing outside her patrol car assisting at the collision scene. While incapacitated from the initial hit, she was struck by a second, hit-and-run vehicle.
Credit: Washington State Patrol
A celebration of life
Devin Tanaka, Guting’s brother-in-law and a fellow first responder in emergency medical services, served as master of ceremonies. He framed the gathering as “a celebration of life—a celebration of a loving wife, a cherished daughter, a caring sister, a dedicated and trusted team member, a true friend, and an honorable public servant.”
Standing beside her siblings, Troy Hirata and Ariana Hirata, Shannen Tanaka delivered the key eulogy for her younger sister. She spoke of Tara’s childhood in Honolulu and her athletic skills in wrestling and judo at Mililani High School. She described the simple joys that occupied Tara’s off-duty life: fishing, playing video games with her brother and friends, crocheting, and time spent with family.
A moment seemed to reveal deeper insight when Shannen Tanaka identified Tara’s favorite Disney character, Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch.” “Small but strong,” Tanaka said, her voice just above a whisper. “Gentle, but fierce. Loving, but unafraid to be a little wild.” She paused, then shared the essence of her younger sister: “Strength doesn’t always look intimidating and kindness doesn’t mean weakness.”
Her path to WSP
An Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) service member raised in the suburban community of Mililani in Central Oahu, Guting served eight years as a Signal Intelligence Analyst in the Army National Guard before pursuing a career in law enforcement. She began her path with the WSP as a trooper cadet in January 2024, graduating with the 119th Trooper Basic Training Class and receiving her commission on Oct. 30. In her brief tenure of less than two months, she served in WSP District 1 in Tacoma with dedication.
Community reaction and grief
The AAPI community responded quickly to Guting’s death. David Della, president of the Seattle International District Rotary Club and a longtime advocate for Asian American affairs, posted a Facebook comment on Dec. 20 that captured the community’s initial grief: “So sad, tragic, and gone too soon. RIP Trooper Guting.”
Credit: Washington State Patrol
Her mission to reshape law enforcement
For those who knew Guting only through her uniform and badge, Tanaka’s description set her character in a new light. She explained that her younger sister joined the WSP following her military service with a singular mission: “To change the face of law enforcement, turning all the negativity into something positive. She was exactly where she felt called to be, bringing the light into the darkness.”
Tanaka hit on a characteristic that others would agree on throughout the service—Guting’s noticeable humility. “Tara never sought recognition or the spotlight,” Tanaka said. “She believed the most meaningful good is done without an audience.”
Words of love and loss
The service’s most poignant moment came when Tanaka addressed her sister directly, speaking with controlled sadness.
“To Tara, today our hearts ache with your absence. We know you did not leave us behind. 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. We love you.”
Lily Guerrero, a close personal friend, spoke through tears. She recounted meeting Guting during a moment when Guerrero had withdrawn from social interaction. Guting, a stranger at the time, approached and asked why she was hiding. The encounter marked the beginning of a friendship that became foundational to Guerrero’s emotional wellbeing. “You made the world feel softer, more funny, and exceedingly more manageable just by being in it,” she said.
A trooper’s quiet compassion
Tanaka introduced Trooper Harison Klever not by name but as Detachment Two, the team with which Guting worked most closely with for her brief tenure. Drawing on 30 years of law enforcement experience, Klever said he had never encountered anyone who possessed Guting’s distinctive combination of infectious positivity and genuine care for colleagues. She called him and others in the detachment every single shift—not burdensome check-ins, but sincere exchanges where she told stories and asked how they were doing.
Klever shared a specific moment that he said “really shows her attitude the most.” During a traffic stop, Guting discovered a disabled car and its driver who faced impounding of his only means of transportation to work. Without hesitation, Klever said, Guting “pulled out her wallet” and paid the impound fee. When asked why, she said, “He needed some help, and it was the right thing to do.”
“We’ll all try to be a little bit more, just like Tara: honor and service united in purpose,” Klever said.
Credit: Washington State Patrol
Ongoing investigation
The Tacoma Police Department is investigating the hit-and-run death of Guting. The dark-colored pickup truck believed responsible for the fatal hit remains impounded, but the second driver remains at large.
Authorities are requesting anyone with information—particularly dashboard camera video or eyewitness accounts from the 7:20 to 7:30 p.m. window on southbound State Route 509 near the Port of Tacoma—to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Disturbing pattern on Washington state roads
Guting became the 34th WSP trooper in the agency’s 105-year history to die in the line of duty. She followed Trooper Christopher Gadd, who was killed by a drunk driver during a DUI enforcement patrol on Interstate 5 near Marysville in March 2024. Both deaths reinforced the persistent danger that law enforcement officers face on Washington’s roads.
The deaths have prompted renewed attention on the state’s Slow Down Move Over law, which requires drivers to change lanes or slow to at least 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit when approaching emergency or roadside work zones.
Final remarks
WSP Chief John R. Batiste released a statement on Dec. 20 honoring the fallen trooper:
“My heartfelt condolences go out to Timothy, Tara’s extended family, her friends, her academy classmates, to District 1 Captain Gundermann, and his entire team. We will never forget Badge #720—Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting.”
“The sky has poured rain on us all for the past two weeks … And with this loss, now tears flood our souls.”