Redgie Lyle Gutshall

Redgie Gutshall, warrior, artist and noble soul, died Tuesday, September 15 at Mayo Clinic. The earth did not stop turning. But for those who loved him, it is impossible to imagine a world without this passionate, open-hearted, impetuous, generous, and utterly impossible man. Redgie began life on May 1, 1947 in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of Garvin and Mary Gutshall. His childhood antics may have tried their loving patience, but they were unfailingly supportive of his aspirations when he turned to dramatics at North Kansas City High School. Redgie graduated in 1965 and attended Southwest Missouri State University, majoring in theatre and partying. Guilt-stricken when he realized he was wasting his parents’ hard-earned money, he impulsively quit college and joined the U.S. Navy.

Guided by some divine intuition, he had fallen into his perfect path. Redgie loved Navy life, the competition and the comradeship, the discipline and the rowdiness, the sense of mission and the global adventure. His career spanned 27 years and six continents, including Antarctica. He advanced quickly as an air traffic controller, making Chief by the age of 30 and then becoming an officer. He retired as a Lieutenant Commander in 1995. An early tour of duty was on Guam, supporting the Vietnam War. Towards the end, in Rota, Spain, he helped coordinate allied aircraft headed to the Mideast in the First Gulf War. He did six-month carrier deployments in the Pacific and in the Mediterranean. He sailed through the Suez Canal, into the fjords of Norway and up the Mississippi River to New Orleans Mardi Gras. He was inspired by the Roman ruins of Pompei and the fleshpots of Thailand. He was deeply conscious and dedicated to the life-and-death responsibility of air traffic control. In 1973 he witnessed a head-on collision between two Navy aircraft, which killed thirteen servicemen. The experience remained with him for his entire life.

Redgie’s love of acting continued throughout his Navy career. Nearly every overseas base has a devoted little theatre group and in Stateside postings, there were opportunities in surrounding communities. When the Navy brought him to Jacksonville in 1982, he found a home at Theatre Jacksonville, River City Playhouse, Players by the Sea and the thriving theatre community here. Over the years, Redgie performed in over 40 productions in the area.

Redgie’s first two marriages to fellow Navy air traffic controllers, Donna-Lee Guarino and Kathleen Shanahan, ended in divorce. In 1989 he married Holly Gutshall, an outstanding actress in her own right. Community theatre was their shared love throughout a 35-year marriage. They frequently performed together and were front-row fixtures at opening nights. Their married life began in Rota, Spain, and world travel became a cherished part of their life together. Holly took in the wonders of Spain, Portugal, Morocco, France, England, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Australia and New Zealand. Redgie lagged way behind taking beautifully-composed photographs. Afterwards, he couldn’t tell you where he took that photo, but he knew he’d been there!

When Redgie retired from the Navy in 1995, theatre helped fill the loss of purpose and the gap in his heart. His golden streak of luck didn’t fail, when two close friends started new theatre companies. At Bob Pritchard’s Jacksonville Stage Company and Devlin Mann’s Backlight Productions, there were always great roles for Redgie, no audition required. He especially delighted in his annual Christmas turns as cantankerous banker Mr. Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Deteriorating health put an end to world travels and curtailed Redgie’s acting, but he never ceased attending and supporting community theatre. He and Holly were generous patrons and benefactors of the arts in Jacksonville. They regularly sponsored productions at Players by the Sea and the 5 & Dime theatre, as well as Florida Chamber Music Project concerts.

Redgie had no children. His wife Holly survives him. His legacy is best summed up in the eloquent and generous words of educator/director/actor and longtime friend Jeff Grove: “Redgie has been a veritable Rock of Gibraltar for Jacksonville’s theatre community for so long that it seemed we would always have him, looming there above the strait to guide us, protect us, inspire us – and occasionally raise a questioning eyebrow when we needed it.”

A Celebration of Redgie’s life will be held Saturday, October 3, beginning at 2 PM at Players by the Sea, 106 N. 6th Street, Jacksonville Beach.