Jacob G. Getz

Jacob "Jake" G. Getz, age 94, of Savanna, Illinois, died on Friday, October 9, 2009, at the Morrison Community Hospital in Morrison, Illinois. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2009, at the St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Savanna, with Rev. Philip Bigelow officiating. Burial will follow in the Center Hill Cemetery, rural Mt. Carroll, Illinois. Visitation will be held from 4 – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, also at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church. Memorials may be directed to St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, Savanna. Jacob was born April 26, 1915, in Lockwood, Missouri, the son of Jacob G. and Mary C. (Ripper) Getz. He attended the Pleasant Hill School. Jacob married Thelma L. Wurster on August 4, 1941, at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Champaign, Illinois. She preceded him death on January 7, 2000.Jake loved working at the Mississippi Palisades State Park, retiring after thirty – six and a half years at the age of 90. He lived on the original Getz homestead in rural Savanna where he farmed with his father and later with his wife for thirty-five years. Jake was a part of the Getz Orchestra, formed in 1931. He played the banjo and the group performed at many local establishments and dances. He later enjoyed harmonizing with his brothers. Jake loved his time mowing the lawn, for many hours and acres, both at home and at work. He was a member of St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Savanna and was the last surviving charter member of the Jacobstown Community Club. Jacob is survived by two sons, Arnold (Phyllis) Getz of Chadwick, Illinois, and Karl (Crystal) Getz of Savanna, Illinois; three daughters, Joan (David) Cassellius of Portage, Wisconsin, Jean (Larry) Messmer of Savanna, and Joyce (Dennis) Bonnet of Pearl City, Illinois; thirteen grandchildren, and sixteen great grandchildren.Jacob was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Thelma; five brothers, Lawrence, Walter, Ralph, Charles, and Melvin Getz; three sisters, Louise Law, Mable Getz, and Lilybel Getz; and one great - great granddaughter, Chloe Elizabeth Getz.