William Joseph Getson

William J. Getson

March 25, 1933 - April 26, 2025

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and loyal friend William Joseph "Bill" Getson passed away on Saturday, April 26, in Melbourne, FL. He was 92.

Born to Madelon (Augustitus) and Bill Getson in Duryea, PA, Bill graduated from Duryea High School in 1950, where he was Senior Class President and a triple letterman in baseball, basketball, and football. He also played for the Duryea Barons. A proud veteran of the Korean War, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1952 and served in the Army Intelligence Service at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, where he was recognized for code breaking and played baseball. A lifelong believer in higher education, after his honorable discharge in 1955, Bill benefited from the GI Bill and graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1960 and a master's degree in EE in 1965. He was a member of the Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Tau, and Tau Beta Pi societies.

Professionally, Bill enjoyed a long career in electrical engineering and working on top-secret initiatives designed to protect American interests during the Cold War and beyond. He specialized in electromagnetic pulse (EMP), electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and sophisticated communication and shielding applications used by the armed forces and government contractors. He began his career in 1965 working at HRB Singer in State College, PA, where he was awarded a U.S. Patent for Ultrasonic Switch for High-Speed Electrical Switching. He then worked at IBM in Endicott, NY, and Radiation, Inc. (later Harris Corporation) in Palm Bay, FL. He retired from E-Systems (later Raytheon) in 1996 in St. Petersburg, FL. At age 62, he studied for and obtained his professional engineer license. He was a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Florida Engineering Society, the National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 66.5 years, Marion Hughes Getson; daughter Lisa (Todd) of Coto de Caza, CA; son Daniel (Tracey) of Lake Worth, FL; daughter Eileen (Paul) of Viera, FL; grandson Travis; granddaughters Jewell and Morgan; great-grandson Jameson; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, brother Robert, and sister Marilyn, and in 2020, his son James and grandson Jakob.

A man of many interests and hobbies, Bill enjoyed Lithuanian genealogy and food, fishing, hunting, camping, golfing, boating, road trips, gardening, traveling, making homemade wine and pickles, corresponding with extended family and old friends, and cheering on his beloved Penn State Nittany Lions. He supported numerous charities and Penn State University.

A Catholic Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Viera at 11 AM on Wednesday, May 7, with a viewing there at 10 AM. A private family burial service with military honors will be held at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery in Mims, FL, on Thursday, May 8. The family would like to thank all of his local and VA physicians/nurses and staff at Viera area hospitals, home health agencies and Viera Del Mar for the excellent care and compassion shown to Bill in the past few years.