Jean Marie Getter

Jean Marie Getter has now joined the greatest coffee party and wine happy hour after a battle with Alzheimer’s. Jean was a remarkable woman who was sweet, loving and always put others before herself. She had the prettiest smile and a great laugh.

Jean was born at the Richland Center Hospital on July 7,1929 to Sherman and Esther Simpson. She was always excited for Independence Day because that meant her birthday was a few days away and she was looking forward to the homemade angel food cake and ice cream.

Jean grew up on a farm near Soldiers Grove, WI and spent her childhood helping her mom with the gardening, baking, sewing and playing with all the farm animals. On weekends, she would visit her grandparent’s farm near Trout Creek. All her aunts, uncles and cousins would gather after church. There was always berry picking, canning tomatoes, and baking wonderful treats – especially cookies.

Jean’s family later moved to Viroqua where she graduated from Viroqua High School. She was the caregiver of the family and aspired to become a nurse. Unfortunately, money was tight, and she couldn’t afford nursing school. Instead, she went to La Crosse Normal School and obtained her teaching certificate. In the 1950’s, Jean taught in a one room schoolhouse at Sugar Grove.

In 1950, she married Harland Getter in Viroqua. They moved several places during their marriage including California, Montana and back to Wisconsin to be close to family. They had one daughter, Lori.

Jean loved to travel, going to garage sales to find pretty dishes and other treasurers, gardening – especially flowers and tomatoes, and reading. She was a ferocious reader. She would go to her local library and take home 6-7 books each week. She loved books by Danielle Steele. However, she would read everything. She liked to stay current on the news and read history books. The local librarian always had a stack of new books for her to check out.

Jean was a proud Norwegian. Her father immigrated to Wisconsin from Norway. She was always busy in the fall making lefsa, krumkake, rosettes and her secret strawberry cookie balls. She was also famous for her lasagna. The Saturday before Christmas, friends and family would come to her home for her lasagna, her 7-layer salad, and of course cookies. There was always plenty of red wine and Tom and Jerry’s to go around.

Jean also loved arts and crafts. She took several ceramic classes and crocheted afghans. She enjoyed making something special for her family and friends.

In recent years, she looked forward to “splurging” and going to breakfast on the weekends with her daughter Lori. Her favorite place was Denny’s on East Washington Ave. in Madison. The waitresses knew what Jean wanted as soon as she walked through the door. A large cup of coffee and one cinnamon roll pancake with frosting and syrup. Lori always made her order a scrambled egg and some orange juice to counter the sugar extreme! Her smile charmed everyone in the restaurant and the manager gave her a Denny’s coffee mug.

For many years, Jean had a ceramic plate that she made hanging above her stove. “Welcome to Jean’s Kitchen. Have a cup of coffee”. She loved when people stopped by. She believed it was important to take a break, have a cup of coffee and a “little” cookie in the afternoon. She always had the cookie jar full. She LOVED her cookies! She also loved her naps. She was the “Nap Queen” and had a pillow to prove it.

Jean’s greatest passion was her love for animals, especially her cats and dogs. Her second “child” was Millie the cat. When Jean was 87 years old, she was diagnosed with depression. Her Nurse Practitioner and Doctor literally issued a prescription for Jean to adopt a cat! Jean selected Millie, an older cat that was rescued from Chicago Animal Control in 2018. Community Cat Rescue had a program that adopted senior cats with seniors. These two bonded immediately. Jean and Millie lived in a senior apartment and three assisted living facilities together. It was a blessing especially during the COVID lockdown. Millie gave Jean a purpose to get up in the morning, to eat and be strong. Her family joked – Millie was #1 in Jean’s life, followed by cookies and then her daughter.

Jean was sweet but a little spicy in a good way. She had her “Jeanisms”

“A little nail polish will brighten your day”

“Everyone should wear purple. It makes your heart happy”

“What’s that sign – there’s a garage sale – lets go”

One of the last times she spoke after sleeping for 24 hours, a nurse asked her how she was feeling. Jean replied, “It’s hard being a woman!”

Jean was a woman of faith. She was tired and wanted to be with Jesus. She also was excited to be with her parents, grandparents and all her cousins and friends.

Jean is survived by her cat Millie and daughter Lori.

Love is the only word to describe Jean and Millie’s bond. Many seniors are lonely, and senior cats are often overlooked at animal shelters. Jean’s wish was to make sure senior cats find loving homes with seniors who need a furry companion to brighten their lives. Angel’s Wish Pet Adoption and Resource Center in Verona, WI has a Seniors for Seniors program. Donations will be used to help with the adoption costs and senior cat care. Donations can be sent here https://www.angelswish.org/seniorsforseniors

Remember to have a cookie and think of Jean today.