Pearl E. Gettman Obituary (1929

Pearl Elizabeth 'Bette' Gettman went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 2 at 7:15 am in her Yakima home. She was 88. Born in Neosho, Missouri on December 26, 1929, she was the third child out of seven to Pleasant Thomas and Nancy (Beaver) Thomas. Bette moved with her family to Toppenish, Washington in the mid 1940's where she graduated from high school in 1948. As a teenager there, she met Alvin 'Al' Gettman at church. They fell in love and were married in 1949. Bette went to college in Ellensburg to get her teacher's license, worked for Yakima Montessori School then owned and operated Montessori schools in Wapato, Toppenish and Zillah until 1999 while she and Al raised three children: Anne, David & Gregg. Bette is survived by her devoted husband, Al. Her three children; Anne Gettman of Bellevue, David Gettman (Tara) of Waterloo, Iowa and Gregg Gettman (Tani) of Yakima. Four grandchildren; Taylor Gettman and Lauren Thomas (Todd) both of Yakima, Charlotte Gettman and Thomas Gettman both of Waterloo, Iowa. Siblings; Bob Thomas of Winchester, California, Pleasant Thomas of Vancouver, WA, William 'Bill' Thomas of Corvallis, Oregon and Nancy (Thomas) Warrender of Redmond. Preceded in death by her parents, sister Elsie (Thomas) Meloy of Tri-Cities and brother Larry Thomas of Portland, Oregon. Bette was her own woman with an independent spirit. She had a passion for education and loved the children whose lives she helped shape through her Montessori program. Al and Bette shared a lifetime of love and devotion during their 72 years together and 69 years of marriage. A Graveside Service will be held on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at Terrace Heights Memorial Park (3001 Terrace Heights Dr, Yakima, WA 98901) at 11:00 am. The family requests memorials in her honor be made to the Yakima Humane Society or the American Heart Association in care of Brookside Funeral Home (PO Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936). SERVICES Funeral service Tuesday, August 07, 2018 11:00 AM Terrace Heights Memorial Park ,