Mary Jean Getter

Mary Jean Getter, age 85, passed away December 29, 2021. She was born on June 25, 1936, in Genoa, WI to Elmer and Meta (Mueller) Mundsack. She attended De Soto and LaCrosse High Schools, graduating in 1952 and attended Viroqua Normal School until her marriage to Russell W Getter in 1954 in Richland Center, WI. For several years, they worked as dairy farmers in Wisconsin and in 1971, Mary and Russell moved their family from Wisconsin to Lawrence, KS., when Russell took a faculty position with Kansas University.

Mary worked for Kmart Distribution Center in Lawrence for 25 years until retiring in 1998. Following retirement, Mary was an active volunteer for many Lawrence-area organizations, including Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence Presbyterian Manor, and Friends of the Library, where she received of the Mary Dalton Murphy Volunteer Award in 2017.

Mary was crowned the Cranberry Queen in 2012 by the Lawrence Public Library Foundation for her award-winning cranberry coffee cake with hot butter sauce recipe. She enjoyed regular indulgences of Haagen-Dazs ice cream, diet Dr. Pepper and Lindor truffles. Every year she made sure her family was treated to lutefisk and lefse on Christmas Eve. She will forever remain known amongst friends and family for her homemade holiday candy and yeast rolls (which no one has yet been able to best).

Mary had a love and soft heart for babies throughout her entire life, caring for children at Small World, Meadowbrook Day Care and Head Start.

An avid flower gardener and bird lover, she participated in the Prairie Acres Garden Club. She also was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Lawrence, KS.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Dr. Russell W. Getter. She is survived by her six children, Barbara Getter (Mike Adamson) of Lawrence; Roxanne Brendel of Bloomington, IN; Denise (Jeff) Berkley of Lawrence; Scott (Wanda) Getter of Lawrence; Laurie Michels of Virginia Beach, VA; and Robert (Linda) Getter of Corona del Mar, CA. She also leaves behind eight beloved grandchildren (Christine, Ben, Rebekah, Rachel, Matt, Betty, Brandon, and Julia), five great-grandchildren, and countless friends and extended family.

A visitation is scheduled from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Sunday, January 2, 2022, at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence, KS . Burial will take place at Viroqua Cemetery in Viroqua, WI.

Memorial contributions may be made in Mary’s name to Lawrence Public Library Friends & Foundation and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.