Savannah Guthrie says her mom was a woman of faith and a source of strength for her family

For more than a decade, loyal viewers of NBC’s “Today” show have gotten to know Nancy Guthrie, the beloved longtime host’s mother. Savannah Guthrie.

“She lived a life of integrity and loyalty,” a beaming Savannah Guthrie said on her mother’s 80th birthday four years ago.

“She was a truth teller, whether you actually wanted to hear the truth or not,” Guthrie said, calling her mother an inspiration and a woman of faith.

Savannah Guthrie asked for prayers on Tuesday to help find her 84-year-old mother after authorities said they believed she was forcibly removed from the hospital over the weekend. TucsonArizona, the home where she lives alone.

Authorities do not believe the kidnapping was part of a robbery or kidnapping-for-ransom plot, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Her disappearance rocked NBC’s flagship morning show, which featured occasional appearances by Nancy Guthrie. She has participated in cooking demonstrations and appeared on set to surprise her daughter.

“This is personal to all of us who knew her and loved her” Jenna Bush Hagerone of the show’s hosts said during Tuesday’s broadcast.

Savannah Guthrie, who wasn’t at the anchor’s desk Tuesday, described her mom as adventurous, curious and selfless over the years.

Savannah Guthrie said in 2022: “She faced unimaginable challenges in life without self-pity, with determination and always with unshakable faith.”

Her father died of a heart attack at age 49, when Savannah Guthrie was just 16. The youngest of three siblings, she credits her mother with holding her family together.

“When my dad passed away, our family held on to each other and cherished life because it was so shocking. We had always been a family of five, but we were just trying to figure out how to be a family of four,” she said on the Today show in 2017.

Savannah Guthrie described her father as a strong character with integrity whose death brought the family closer together.

Savannah Guthrie said her two daughters decided to live at home while in college to ensure their mother wouldn’t be alone on the weekends.

“My mom did such a unique and amazing job laying this foundation for us,” Savannah’s sister Anne He said this on the “Today” show nearly a decade ago.

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Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo reported from Washington.