City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation

Obituary
Martha Jane Earp Guthe (Martye)

Cary, North Carolina

Age 74.
Died 06/27/2024.

Martha Jane Earp Guthe (Martye)
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Martha “Martye” Jane Earp Guthe on June 27, 2024. She died peacefully at home in Cary, NC, after several days spent surrounded by loved ones. She is survived by her husband, Douglas “Doug” Guthe, Jr.; her children Jody (Billy), Jennifer, and Michael (Amy); her stepchildren Lea (Thayer), David (Chelsea), and Klara; her grandchildren Brandon, John, Talbot, Isobela, Tanner, Woods, Savannah, Calder, Madilyn, and Verdie; her sister, Ruth (Wesley); her niece and nephews Charles (Autumn), Karin (Paul), and Martin; and many beloved grand-nieces, grand-nephews, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leola Woodard Earp and Worley Sherrod Earp. She courageously battled cancer for four years, always with her gorgeous smile and loving hugs for everyone.

Martye was born on August 9, 1949, in Washington, D.C., to Leola Woodard Earp and Worley Sherrod Earp. Her family moved to North Carolina in 1953, where she and her sister Ruth grew up on a farm in Johnston County. They were surrounded by a large extended family, where cousins were like siblings and aunts and uncles were there to love, nurture, and support. She attended Wake Forest University, earned a Bachelor’s in horticulture from North Carolina State University, and an MBA from the McColl School of Business at Queens University in Charlotte. In every home she made, she cultivated stunning gardens and shared her tasteful collection of pottery, jewelry, and art from her life’s travels. She had an eye for photography, décor, and the perfect outfit for every occasion.

Martye was by far proudest of her children and grandchildren. It was her greatest joy to love and celebrate her family, going above and beyond at every opportunity to make them feel loved, special, and appreciated. Martye always found another seat at her table, making anyone invited feel like family. She instilled the value of family in everyone, from taking her young children to her parents’ farm, to regularly attending her grandchildren’s sporting events, maintaining annual family traditions like Christmas Eve sleepovers and family beach week, and making each child or grandchild their favorite birthday cake every year. She was a tireless advocate for everyone she loved, with a determined optimism that saw her and her family through tough times.

Martye had a passionate love for life. She would invite any of us wanting to honor her to admire a beautiful flower, dance to a favorite song, drive with the top down on a sunny day, and hug our loved ones tightly and often.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Martye’s name to either UNC at www.unchf.org/MartyeGuthe or the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke at http://dccc.convio.net/goto/MarthaGuthe. Martye received exceptional care from both Duke and UNC.

Martye’s memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 12, 2024, at Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. A burial service will be held at Thanksgiving Baptist Church in Selma, NC, at 6 p.m. the same day.

We are forever grateful for the care and love Maggie White and her team at Vitality Health & Care Services provided Martye as well as the support we received from Amedisys Hospice of Garner.

For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.


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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.

Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.

Our Promise

Apples to Apples

Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.


The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.

Genuine Care

We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.


Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.


We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.

State Wide

Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.


Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.

Our Services

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Direct Cremation

$1196.75

Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.

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Cremation with Solidified Remains

$2875.66

We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.

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Cremation with Visitation

$1917.84

City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.

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Immediate Burial

$2497.50

An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.

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Traditional Funeral

$6081.48

We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.

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Green Burial

$3033.75

This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.

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Aquamation

$2640.59

As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.

City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremations