Katharine ("Kay") Gettman passed away peacefully on August 24, 2012 surrounded by loving family and friends. Born in 1912 in Alt Schove, Austria, Kay (then called "Katia") immigrated to Ohio with her family in 1919, making that state her home for the first third of her long and fruitful life. She attended (Case) Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1934 and a Certificate in Public Health in 1935. She passed her State Boards with distinction in September 1934 and received her RN License Diploma, one of her proudest accomplishments. In her first job, she worked for the Cleveland Visiting Nurse Association, serving some of the area’s neediest neighborhoods during the depths of the Depression. While in school, Kay met Dr. Robert Lowell Gettman, a third-year medical student at Western Reserve University. The couple was married on December 30, 1937. Two days later, on January 1, 1938, they moved to Marion, Ohio to launch a medical practice and start their family. Their four children, Lowell, Elaine, Marilyn and Robert, were all born in Marion. In 1952, Kay and Robert moved their family to North Carolina, settling into Sky Brook Farms just outside of Hendersonville and becoming active members of the local community. Kay returned to nursing in 1957, founding the recovery room at Pardee Memorial Hospital. In 1966, Kay was asked to teach a course to train Certified Nurses Aides. Disapproving of the curriculum, she developed her own and went on to teach the new curriculum at Blue Ridge Community College and Transylvania Community Hospital in Brevard; many of her former students still serve in medical organizations throughout the greater Hendersonville area. A lifelong caregiver, Kay was also a founding member of Hospice of Henderson County (now Four Seasons Hospice), where she served as a volunteer nurse for many years. On August 31, 1981, Kay was inducted into the "Second Wind Hall of Fame," receiving a plaque that read: "Because of a long and useful life, continuing productive beyond retirement, while others pause to rest, this dedicated person caught a second wind and began a new career of service to mankind." In 1988, Kay also received the Governor’s Award for Volunteer Services in recognition of her life of service, and in particular her contributions to the hospice movement. Despite a full volunteer schedule, Kay also traveled extensively during her "retirement," exploring five of the seven continents and sailing several of the seven seas. She published her memoirs, "One Day at a Time," in 2004. Age never diminished Kay’s sharp mind and wonderful sense of humor, and as a dedicated yogi, she proudly showed off her ability to touch her toes well into her late nineties. She celebrated her 100th birthday on June 8th with a party that drew every family member, travelling from places as far flung as Thailand and Hawaii, as well as countless friends. Her decision to spend her final days at Elizabeth House, part of the Four Seasons Hospice she helped establish over three decades earlier, represented a coming full circle in a life well lived. This amazing centenarian who touched so many lives is survived by her four children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Her family is her legacy, through which she will live forever. Mrs. Gettman is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Lowell John and Phillipa Gettman of Bangkok, Thailand; daughters, Elaine Gettman Bourdeaux of Atlanta and Marilyn Gettman Ghandour of Hendersonville; son and daughter-in-law, Robert Warren and Katrina Gettman of Asheville; grandchildren, Ethan Lowell Gettman of Boston, MA, Christopher Hindley Gettman of Honolulu, HI., Samantha Andrews of Australia, Anne Walker Bourdeaux of Atlanta, John Wilson Bourdeaux, Jr. of Hartford, CT., Leila Oder of Charlotte, NC, Alia Durrett of Boulder,CO, Laurel Elise G. Harney of Decatur, GA, Katharine Alana Leucothoe G. Johnson of Asheville; great-grandchildren, Joseph Benjamin Oder, Abegael Wynn Johnson, John Wilson Bourdeaux III, Asa Cainnech Johnson, Louis Gettman Harney, Helene Elise Harney, Glynda Rose Bourdeaux, Elliott Gettman and Nathaniel Gettman. Funeral Services for Mrs. Gettman will be at 2:00 P.M. Friday, August 31, 2012 at The First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville with Rev. Dan Martin officiating. Burial will follow in Shepherd Memorial Park. The Family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Thursday, August 30, 2012 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Four Seasons Hospice, 571 South Allen Road, Flat Rock, North Carolina, 28731. An online register book is available for family and friends by visiting www.thosshepherd.com. Thos. Shepherd and Son Funeral Directors and Cremation Memorial Center is in charge of arrangements.
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