Paul F. Getz

Paul Frederick Getz, 83, passed away peacefully at his home in Mt. Carroll on Saturday, July 14, 2012, surrounded by his family. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 20, 2012 at the Mt. Carroll United Methodist Church with Reverend Teri Lafferty officiating. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery, Mt. Carroll. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 19 at the Law-Jones Funeral Home. The family requests that memorial gifts in lieu of flowers be made to the Mt. Carroll United Methodist Church - Paul Getz Memorial Fund.
Paul was born on January 16,1929 in his family's farm house at the end of Getz Road, Center Hill. He was the son of Frederick George and Mildred (Wolf) Getz. He attended Center Hill Elementary School and is a graduate of the Mt. Carroll High School, Class of 1946. He was married to Marilyn June Hawk on September 21, 1952. They had five children, John David, Herbert, William, Gretchen and Steven. Paul was a life long farmer who started working as a young child, as was the custom of the time. At the age of 19, with the benefit of a small loan from a neighbor, he started his own farming business on the farm of Daniel C. Weidman, west of Center Hill, a farm he would later purchase. In 1955, with a child on the way, Paul was drafted into the U.S. Army, and was forced to sell his farming operation. After two years of service, he returned to farming, working three years for his father. In 1960 he purchased the 167 acre D.C. Weidman farm and returned to farming for himself. Over the course of the next five decades, with the help of his wife, children and grandchildren, he built his small farm into a substantial dairy business, Getz Farms Inc., now owned by his partner and son, Steven Getz. Paul was an outgoing fellow, with a large laugh, who made friends where ever he went. He and his wife Marilyn were long time members of several social groups, including the 4-C's Club, the Jacobstown Community Club, and most important to them, their Card Club, a special group of friends which met monthly for over 50 years. Paul is survived by his wife of 59 years, Marilyn, and children Herb (Susan) Getz of Naperville, Gretchen Getz, who lives in Hartland, Wisconsin, and Steve (Brenda) Getz, who are the current residents of Paul and Marilyn's long time farm home on Route 64, west of Center Hill. He is also survived by his sister Naomi (Lowell) Phillips of Clinton, Iowa, two brothers, Harold (Beloit, Wisconsin) and Phillip (Penny) of Angola, Indiana, nine grandchildren and one great-grandson. Paul was preceded in death by his sister, Kathleen, and brother, Wayne, two sons, John David and William, one grandson, Jason Getz, and both parents.