Pierce Thomas Getsinger (age 80) passed away at his home in Traverse City surrounded by his wife (Sam Getsinger), daughters (Kyna and Brie), his son in laws (Rob Himburg and Rick Hylla), and his five grandchildren (Taj, Tulah Himburg, Lucia, Judah, Samuel Hylla). He is preceded in death by his parents Ralph and Margrit Getsinger. His brother (John Getsinger) and sister (Joan Getsinger) were able to speak to him on the phone and send their love from afar the day before he passed. It was a bright and sunny winter morning. From Pierce's room there was a beautiful view of a snow filled wooded back yard. His family held his hands, rubbed his feet, and played the beautiful music of Cesaria Evora whom he loved. He didn't share many musical tastes with his mother, but Cesaria Evora was one artist that they both loved. Perhaps this music helped to bring his mother's spirit into his bedroom and reunite with him as he left this earthly world.
Pierce was born on September 6, 1945 in Somers Point, New Jersey where his grandparents had a summer home. He grew up in Birmingham, Michigan and spending summers with his extended Getsinger family in Ocean City, New Jersey. He had many stories of summers by the shore. A few of these cherished moments were leaving a kite to fly in the wind all night anchored in the sand, driving to the bakery with his Grandpa Pappi to get a box of warm sticky buns to sit on his lap as they drove home, listening to his Grandma Nannan call the grocer and ask, " How are your tomatoes?" as she ordered groceries for delivery. He went to high school at Cranbrook where he made some lifelong friends (Carol, Taro, and Kim Yamaski and Larry Ferar to name a few). He then went on to Olivet and then the University of Michigan where his older sister Joan also studied. After college he moved to Detroit where he met his future wife, Dana "Sam" Karrer. They had many dear friends that joined them at their wedding in the woods of Dyers Bay on Memorial Day in 1974. A few of these friends were also at home with him on the morning of his passing.
Pierce and Sam had two daughters Kyna and Brie. They lived in a loving close-knit community of friends in the village of Lake Orion, Michigan. The neighborhood was a place where neighbors were more like family living in separate houses that were always open and no one ever knocked. All the kids in the neighborhood felt as if they had multiple sets of parents all loving them and teaching them so much. Pierce's role as dad to all these kids was to be the one playing games, rough housing, taking all the kids to tennis lessons in the back of his cargo van as they sat on beach chairs sliding around on the floor of the van. He had an endlessly competitive spirit and never let anyone win a game of anything just because they were a child. He invented games, took kids to the beach while he windsurfed, and loved community camping trips.
Pierce and Sam bought a house in Traverse city in 2003 after loving spending time there with their dear friends Larry and Margaret McCormick. After this log home burned in 2013, they rebuilt on the same site and moved to Traverse City full time in 2015. Pierce and Sam grew their community of friends combining old friends and new into a warm community of pickle ball players and politically active community organizers. Pierce loved swimming in the bay every day in the summer, hot tubs first thing in the morning on his deck, pickle ball at the Y, going to the Farmer's Market on Saturdays, and so many more treasures of living in this small community.
Pierce was a woodworker of extraordinary artistic talent and creativity always thinking of a new project and figuring out how to build it. He never wanted to give up working and was still not retired at the time of his death. He was lucky to have lived by the adage if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. He built many commissioned custom kitchens and later in his career started making beautiful free edge slab tables, countertops, dressers, beds, shelves, bar stools, chairs. He was generous with his talents and gifted many tables and other items to his family and friends that instantly became family heirlooms to whomever received these priceless gifts.
Pierce was a health conscious athlete all of his life. He was an accomplished tennis player, sailor and skier and loved pickleball and wind surfing and swimming in the Grand Traverse Bay every day of the summer. His graceful fluidity playing tennis, skiing and swimming is something we will never forget. He forged dear friendships with his tennis buddies that endured even when he was no longer playing tennis and moved on to pickleball. When a close friend had a health crisis and was told to start drinking blended salad to regain her health, he also started drinking blended salad and continued to make this his lunch of choice for more than 30 years. He loved making homemade bread, sticky buns every Sunday for a number of years, pancakes, pizza, and was famous for his homemade tabouleh, guacamole and salads.
For more than 30 years every week Pierce's family and 6 other families from the neighborhood had a weekly potluck dinner. It was simple gathering but created deep roots of connection and community and love and most importantly laughter. A couple of years ago at a dear friend's celebration of life, Pierce shared that the community he created in his life was what he was most proud of. If you knew Pierce you knew that he took the time to truly know you and find a common interest with you and always ask about it when he saw you.
He was a true renaissance man in the variety of interests he had. He loved music and was always interested in finding new artists and open to suggestions. Some of his favorites were Bob Dylan, Howlin Wolf, Tom Waits, John Prine, Leonard Cohen, David Byrne, Richard Thompson, Manu Chao, Greg Brown, Wilco, and Lucinda Williams. He loved being home more than anything but also loved to travel the world. Some of his most memorable and favorite trips were to Klosters, Switzerland and to Greece.
He loved children and animals too. He was a true lover of joy and games and being childlike in his daily life. He had an ongoing game of tag with the kids in the neighborhood for years until they out grew it, he never did. His grandchildren gave him more opportunities to be silly and playful and have days at the beach swimming in Lake Michigan and playing smash ball on the beach. He loved babies and was always so good at making them belly laugh and feel right at ease. He had a similar way with dogs. He was often the one responsible for getting kids or dogs a little too riled up at perhaps not the opportune time.
Pierce leaves behind a family and community who loved him dearly and many homes full of beautiful furniture that have just became even more cherished. A celebration of life will be planned in future months so that all of us who loved him can gather and tell stories and revel in his memory. If you knew Pierce, you know you are one of the lucky ones. He was humble and honest and will be deeply missed.
Pierce was born on September 6, 1945 in Somers Point, New Jersey where his grandparents had a summer home. He grew up in Birmingham, Michigan and spending summers with his extended Getsinger family in Ocean City, New Jersey. He had many stories of summers by the shore. A few of these cherished moments were leaving a kite to fly in the wind all night anchored in the sand, driving to the bakery with his Grandpa Pappi to get a box of warm sticky buns to sit on his lap as they drove home, listening to his Grandma Nannan call the grocer and ask, " How are your tomatoes?" as she ordered groceries for delivery. He went to high school at Cranbrook where he made some lifelong friends (Carol, Taro, and Kim Yamaski and Larry Ferar to name a few). He then went on to Olivet and then the University of Michigan where his older sister Joan also studied. After college he moved to Detroit where he met his future wife, Dana "Sam" Karrer. They had many dear friends that joined them at their wedding in the woods of Dyers Bay on Memorial Day in 1974. A few of these friends were also at home with him on the morning of his passing.
Pierce and Sam had two daughters Kyna and Brie. They lived in a loving close-knit community of friends in the village of Lake Orion, Michigan. The neighborhood was a place where neighbors were more like family living in separate houses that were always open and no one ever knocked. All the kids in the neighborhood felt as if they had multiple sets of parents all loving them and teaching them so much. Pierce's role as dad to all these kids was to be the one playing games, rough housing, taking all the kids to tennis lessons in the back of his cargo van as they sat on beach chairs sliding around on the floor of the van. He had an endlessly competitive spirit and never let anyone win a game of anything just because they were a child. He invented games, took kids to the beach while he windsurfed, and loved community camping trips.
Pierce and Sam bought a house in Traverse city in 2003 after loving spending time there with their dear friends Larry and Margaret McCormick. After this log home burned in 2013, they rebuilt on the same site and moved to Traverse City full time in 2015. Pierce and Sam grew their community of friends combining old friends and new into a warm community of pickle ball players and politically active community organizers. Pierce loved swimming in the bay every day in the summer, hot tubs first thing in the morning on his deck, pickle ball at the Y, going to the Farmer's Market on Saturdays, and so many more treasures of living in this small community.
Pierce was a woodworker of extraordinary artistic talent and creativity always thinking of a new project and figuring out how to build it. He never wanted to give up working and was still not retired at the time of his death. He was lucky to have lived by the adage if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. He built many commissioned custom kitchens and later in his career started making beautiful free edge slab tables, countertops, dressers, beds, shelves, bar stools, chairs. He was generous with his talents and gifted many tables and other items to his family and friends that instantly became family heirlooms to whomever received these priceless gifts.
Pierce was a health conscious athlete all of his life. He was an accomplished tennis player, sailor and skier and loved pickleball and wind surfing and swimming in the Grand Traverse Bay every day of the summer. His graceful fluidity playing tennis, skiing and swimming is something we will never forget. He forged dear friendships with his tennis buddies that endured even when he was no longer playing tennis and moved on to pickleball. When a close friend had a health crisis and was told to start drinking blended salad to regain her health, he also started drinking blended salad and continued to make this his lunch of choice for more than 30 years. He loved making homemade bread, sticky buns every Sunday for a number of years, pancakes, pizza, and was famous for his homemade tabouleh, guacamole and salads.
For more than 30 years every week Pierce's family and 6 other families from the neighborhood had a weekly potluck dinner. It was simple gathering but created deep roots of connection and community and love and most importantly laughter. A couple of years ago at a dear friend's celebration of life, Pierce shared that the community he created in his life was what he was most proud of. If you knew Pierce you knew that he took the time to truly know you and find a common interest with you and always ask about it when he saw you.
He was a true renaissance man in the variety of interests he had. He loved music and was always interested in finding new artists and open to suggestions. Some of his favorites were Bob Dylan, Howlin Wolf, Tom Waits, John Prine, Leonard Cohen, David Byrne, Richard Thompson, Manu Chao, Greg Brown, Wilco, and Lucinda Williams. He loved being home more than anything but also loved to travel the world. Some of his most memorable and favorite trips were to Klosters, Switzerland and to Greece.
He loved children and animals too. He was a true lover of joy and games and being childlike in his daily life. He had an ongoing game of tag with the kids in the neighborhood for years until they out grew it, he never did. His grandchildren gave him more opportunities to be silly and playful and have days at the beach swimming in Lake Michigan and playing smash ball on the beach. He loved babies and was always so good at making them belly laugh and feel right at ease. He had a similar way with dogs. He was often the one responsible for getting kids or dogs a little too riled up at perhaps not the opportune time.
Pierce leaves behind a family and community who loved him dearly and many homes full of beautiful furniture that have just became even more cherished. A celebration of life will be planned in future months so that all of us who loved him can gather and tell stories and revel in his memory. If you knew Pierce, you know you are one of the lucky ones. He was humble and honest and will be deeply missed.
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