Salute: Umatilla's Priscilla Chase Getchell was put here to serve
UMATILLA – She belonged to the Chiefs' Mess an astonishing two and a half years after enlisting.
With her late Army officer veteran husband, Ralph, she raised nine children – all sons.
This 1984 Lake County Citizen of the Year and inaugural inductee into the U.S. Navy's Flight Simulator Hall of Fame will be 100 years old this summer - and she's still displaying the wit, sharpness, physical health and life-is-a-wonder exuberance most folks dearly hope to enjoy in their 80s.
She is Umatilla force of nature Priscilla Chase Getchell, a joy-filled voluntarism addict and unabashed community cheerleader whose philosophy of life is simple and direct:
"You were put here to serve."
That's according to the town's Vice-Mayor Laura Wright, a Navy brat and fellow Massachusetts gal who regards her dear friend of 30 years as "my mentor."
"She is a scream and I love her," said Wright, referring to Priscilla Getchell's no-excuses, take-no-prisoners approach to "getting it done … for others."
Chatting with Mrs. Getchell at her picturesque, real-Florida lakefront property on a sunny morning in Dona Vista last week, her skills in flower gardening were obvious, as was her practical, country furniture and distinctive doors, shelving and trim.
Even more obvious was her bright-eyed, go-grab-it take on living that has always been shot through with the rich ore of gratitude for:
- receiving an anonymous scholarship to Boston University upon graduation from high school.- being recognized by the Navy for her chutzpah and extraordinary math skills which obliterated any supervisors' real or imagined notions of what a WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) could or could not do for the war effort.
- a gift for music which led to some extraordinary performing and kibitzing opportunities with an All-WAVE choral group, including exposure to the original Von Trapp Family and Hollywood musical superstar Jeanette McDonald.
- a family-infused love for physical fitness and the outdoors that has included field hockey and softball in high school, a lifelong walking habit and owning a Lake County horse ranch which included daily trail rides for the public in addition to the normal punch list of loading hay, mucking stalls and chasing down recalcitrant geldings.
- a decade-plus of joyous, symbiotic energy on behalf of Angel Flight and the Umatilla Library.
- and an extraordinarily "giving and involved" church family (Umatilla's First Presbyterian).
The Sons of Katie Elder, a classic western starring John Wayne, have nothing on Priscilla Getchell's accomplished lads:
John is a retired Lake County sheriff's deputy who founded the LSCO Color Guard while David and Stephen earned regional and national reputations in the worlds of engineering and construction, respectively.
Five of her boys pulled duty in the Armed Forces: Adam served at the Jet Propulsion Lab at Edwards Air Force Base; Paul was a Mediterranean Sea patrolling U.S. Marine NCO; and Tim (the Marine gunny), Andrew (the Army MP) and Ralph (the hotshot Air Force pilot) all found themselves sharing the same swath of real estate during Operation Desert Storm.
In fact Ralph, who retired as a colonel, had the distinction of leading the first bombing raid into Baghdad.
Sadly, son Peter died at mid-life, succumbing to terminal illness - nursed through the ordeal by his mother.
Priscilla's growing-up family moved to Maine where she met her future husband before leaving home; the pair corresponded, as friends, throughout the war.
In one letter, the future Mrs. Getchell mentioned that she "always wanted a big family," to which the lieutenant responded with, "sounds good to me."
"Oh, boy," a mischievously grinning Priscilla told an interviewer, "I was thinking, 'your goose is cooked.'"
Reprinted by permission: original article at Daily Commercial can be linked below by
author Keith Oliver.
Daily Commercial original article
Priscilla is a member of First Presbyterian Church. I got to know her during my tenure as Pastor. She is a beloved member of the community. It was truly a blessing to get to know her, she has known heartbreak and triumph, yet has always maintained a wonderful spirit about her. She is truly a remarkable person. This article is posted in honor of her upcoming 100th birthday. Happy Birthday Priscilla! May you celebrate many more.
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