Grace Louise Gettinger

Grace Louise Gettinger, age 86, of Florence, KY, passed into eternal rest on April 4, 2022 at Florence Park Care Center after bravely battling complex medical conditions for the past few years. She is survived by her beloved husband of 66 years, William (Bill) Gettinger; daughters Paula (Bruce) Melson, Connie (David) Hensley and Marcia (Mark) Hempfling; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Pauline Houghland, and her brother, Jerry Houghland. Grace was born in Connersville, IN on July 2, 1935. She was a graduate of Connersville High School. She married Bill on October 23, 1955 after he returned from Army service in Korea. She spent many years caring for their three young daughters, first in Connersville and then in Taylorsville, IN. The family moved to Danville, KY in 1969 and Grace soon began her journey as the first bookmobile librarian for Boyle County, KY where she enjoyed sharing her love of books with the people and communities there. She developed life-long friends with the other bookmobile staff and cherished many special memories of those experiences. She was an active member of Centenary United Methodist church while in Danville. When the family moved to Florence in 1979, Grace then worked for several years at Estes Dental Center. She was a member of Christ United Methodist Church, now Immanuel Methodist Church in Florence. Throughout her life Grace was a dedicated volunteer and served in many capacities at church, with marching band parent organizations and with the Interfaith Hospitality Network. She was a devoted supporter of all activities and sports in which her grandchildren participated. Always a nurturer, Grace loved to cook and enjoyed caring for others by providing their favorite foods and hosting family celebrations. A celebration of life will be held at Immanuel United Methodist Church at 1440 Boone Aire Rd in Florence on Sunday, April 24 at 2 PM. Family will be available after the service for visitation. Grace donated her body to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine to promote medical education and research. The family wishes to express sincere gratitude to the staffs of Elmcroft/Inspirations of Florence, Florence Park Care Center and the hospice team at Bluegrass Care Navigators for their compassionate care and support through this journey. Donations may be made in Grace’s memory to Immanuel UMC, designated in memo for Boone Campus (but mailed to the Lakeside Park campus at 2551 Dixie Hwy, Lakeside Park, KY 41017). Donations are also accepted online at immanuelumc.org/give