A Celebration of Life was held on December 27, 2024 for John Jay Getting who went to his eternal home the night after Thanksgiving, November 29, 2024 at the age of 86 years.
John was born on October 27, 1938 and raised on a farm northwest of Sanborn along with his three siblings. He attended the Sanborn Community School, graduating with the Class of 1957. He attended Iowa State College and Morningside College.
In August 1958 he and Carol Watson, also a farm girl, were married. They moved to the farm known as “the south place” in 1960 and began farming with John’s dad. They became parents of four children: Janelle (Ben-deceased) Quimby, Johnna (Greg) Aksamit, Curt (Erin) Getting, Julie (Todd) Metcalf, and grandparents of eight.
John had developed asthma as an infant. As the years went by it became worse and he was advised to find a warm, dry climate to live. In late November of 1964 they packed up and relocated to Phoenix, AZ. John spent many years as a real estate salesman, then got his Broker’s license. In the 1980s and 90s he received numerous awards for selling a million dollars worth of real estate each year.
John retired in 2020 and loved “tinkering” outside in the back yard and in his shop. He and Carol started purchasing houses as rentals in 1967 acquiring 10 in the next 10 years. Who knew what they would be worth in the 2020s when sold – a comfortable retirement.
In late July of 2022 they moved to a Senior Living Community. The family house (with a big back yard) they had purchased in 1965 was too much to take care of by themselves.
John was a 50+ year member of the Sanborn Masonic Lodge. He was a charter member of Faith United Methodist Church in Phoenix and involved in various church activities. His cremains were placed in a niche in Faith’s Patio Garden Columbarium.
John was a loving and caring husband, dad, grandpa and friend. When meeting someone for the first time he would tell them he was an Iowa “Farm Boy.”