Dr. Richard Willis Getzinger

We celebrate the life of Dr. Richard Willis Getzinger, devoted husband, father and brother, who passed away peacefully in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on September 7, 2025, age 87.

Dr. Getzinger-—“Dick” to all who knew and loved him—-spent a long career in public and non-profit service. A native of Hammond, Indiana, Dick earned an undergraduate degree in engineering from U.C.L.A. and a Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley before moving to New Mexico to work as a research scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He found his true calling in public service, however, winning election to two terms on the Los Alamos county council, there catching the attention of Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), whose staff in Washington he subsequently joined as science adviser. From there Dick transitioned to the U.S. Foreign Service, spending over a decade overseas at senior diplomatic posts in Canada, Austria and Japan before returning to Washington to serve as Director of International Programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition to his public service, Dick volunteered many years of service for his church and other community organizations and as an IRS-trained volunteer tax adviser, a role that he continued well into retirement.

Dick traveled widely and loved reading about and experiencing foreign places and cultures. He also was a lifelong baseball fan who always rooted for the home team, and a great lover of the outdoors, especially the great mountains of the West.

Dick will be inurned at Parklawn Memorial Garden, Rockville, Maryland together with his beloved wife Carol, who predeceased him in 2015 after 54 years of devoted marriage. He is survived by son David, daughter-in-law Claire, daughter Kari, brother Jim, and sister Nancy.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday Oct. 4, 2025, at North Bethesda United Methodist Church, 10100 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Maryland. Flowers are welcome, but the family urges well-wishers alternatively to consider making a contribution in Dick’s name to the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer’s Association, or another charity engaged in researching cures for cancer or dementia.

In loving memory,

Kari, Dave, Claire, Jim and Nancy

In care of Thibadeau Mortuary Service, pa124 E Diamond Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877301-495-4950www.InterFaithFunerals.com