Elizabeth Georgetta Getts-McGriff

Wasilla resident Elizabeth Georgetta Getts-McGriff, 78, died Feb. 14, 2011, at her home in Wasilla from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Elizabeth was born July 10, 1932, in Portland, Mich., the daughter of Raymond Orin and Margerette Agnes (Phillips) Reed.

A viewing for family and friends is at 11 a.m. today with a Rosary at 11:30 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1201 Bogard Road, Wasilla. A Mass of Christian Burial is at noon and burial will follow the services at Wasilla-Aurora Cemetery in Wasilla.

Elizabeth attended high school in Portland, Mich., and worked as a nurse’s aide in Portland. She will be remembered by her family as a domestic engineer who took care of her family and the friends she made along her life’s journey. Her family said she enjoyed coin collecting, along with knitting and crocheting, gardening and yard work. She was a football fan who also enjoyed watching “Wheel of Fortune,” playing Yahtzee, doing crossword puzzles, playing bingo and reading a good book.

Elizabeth moved to Alaska in 1962 and lived in Willow until 1980, when she left and then moved to Florida in 1988. She then moved to Ava, Ill., until 2008, when she returned to Alaska, where she lived until her death. She was active in the communities where she lived and was one of the Pioneers in the Willow Catholic Church. She also was known as the founder of the Willow Bee’s. She was the champion at the Willow Winter Carnival in the Sweed-Saw event and involved in the PTA when her children were growing up. She served as the Brownie den mother and made donations to the Willow school and carnival, which her family said showed how much she loved being a part of her community in Alaska. Her love of country was shown in her membership to the VFW.

Elizabeth will be remembered by her family as a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother and friend to all who knew her, and will be dearly missed because of her way of caring for her family and friends by sending cards to them on special occasions with clippings from newspapers to commemorate their awards and celebrations. Elizabeth was always willing to give good, sound advice to her family and friends. Her family will remember her cooking and canning, which she did for them. Her grandchildren will fondly remember calling her “Grams” or “Mema.”

On behalf of her grandchildren, grandson Roland wrote that “it makes sense for God to have taken our grandmother on Valentine’s Day, and I will tell you why. Just a few days back when her grandson Roland was visiting grandma with his wife Erica and their daughter, Willow, she was not able to say much, but she did remind me to take care of my wife and babies — but she referred to them as her babies. Grandma always reminded me to do this every time I saw her, and I am sure she has told this to all of her grandchildren at least once or twice. I have always looked up to grandma for this reason. Her love of her children, grandchildren and her great-grandchildren was her passion in life. Her face would light up and would just make her the happiest person in the world any time we came to see her. Our grandmother always spoke so dearly of our late grandfather. She loved to tell us how great a man he really was and would tell the many memories that she had of him, and then would just sit back in her chair and smile and you could see her remembering it as if it was just yesterday. Our grandmother had a great big heart, and that is where she keeps us all and where I know we will all keep her. This is why God has taken our dearly beloved grandmother on Valentine’s Day. It is the day we remember love and what love really is, and no better day to bring our grandmother home!”

Elizabeth is survived by her daughters, Rayleene Getts of Willow, Julie Getts-Fulton of Wasilla and Robin Getts-Tresham of Willow and Wasilla; sons-in-law, Mike Fulton of Wasilla and Roland Tresham of Willow and Wasilla.

She is also survived by her grandsons, Joseph Beech of Palmer, Kenneth Smith of Wasilla and Jeremy “Boone” Tanner of Wasilla, Shane Voelk of Anchorage, and Roland and Reed Tresham of Wasilla; granddaughters, Kelly Yaden-McDonald of Penacook, N.H., Misty Crawl-Vanderweele of Palmer, Kimberly Yaden of Wasilla, Gina Beech of Columbia, S.C., Shannon Voelk-Casey of Chugiak, Kasandra “Kassi” Tresham-Nicoll of Wasilla and Julie “Autee” Tweety of Palmer. Also surviving are her granddaughters-in-law Aimee Able-Beech of Palmer and Erica Mathews-Tresham; grandsons-in-laws Dennis McDonald of Penacook, N.H., Glen Vanderweele of Palmer and Jacob Nicoll of Palmer; and 22 great-grandchildren and one more on the way; brother, Charles Reed of Lansing, Mich., and sister Hazzel Simmons of Portland, Mich.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Kenneth Getts; husband, William McGriff; daughters, Teresa Getts-Voelk and Kendra Getts-Goodwin; and brothers, Raymond and John Reed.

The family suggests remembrances be made to the family c/o Robin Tresham 176 E. Park Ave., Wasilla, AK 99654-8018.

The family was cared for by Valley Funeral Home and Crematory Wasilla.