Roger W. Gettel

Roger Wayne Gettel, age 90, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 while in the expert care of Arbor Hospice. Roger was born on January 2, 1933 to the late George W. and Ethyl G. (Osborne) Gettel and raised on the family farm, built in the 1880’s, located between Bay Port and Pigeon, MI. He was the 4th of 5 brothers (Ken, Keith, Lyle, and Aaron) and the last surviving sibling. Roger would often fondly recall his days on the farm, unless of course one was talking about weeding beans, then the memories were not fond at all. There is a lot of work to do on a farm and at age 14 he was tasked with driving the family truck down Livernois to deliver produce in Detroit. Heaving bales of hay, or that kick to his nose playing high-school football were all good. After all, he had already launched the assailant 6’ into the air with a hearty and wholesome block. He and his brother Aaron were both named All-state. Or was Roger 1 vote shy thanks to his own coach? His high school in Pigeon was so small that not only did he play offense and defense on the football team, he was also in the marching band. Roger served in the US Army noting that he received his draft notice the day the Korean conflict’s armistice was signed. His most significant duty was the Honor Guard in Ft. Benning, GA. Afterwards he earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University on the GI bill. Roger’s profession was that of a mechanical engineer specializing in hydraulics. While in the employ of Ford Motor in Dearborn, MI he earned several patents and a Henry Ford Technological award for his efforts on the power steering pump. Even after he retired, Ford called him in to troubleshoot a vexatious engineering riddle which he was able to solve. He was proud of his career in engineering. While standing next to an SR-71 at the Udvar-Hazy center of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum he proclaimed for all to hear that it had “his” pump inside. So too did early versions of the 747 and M1A1 tank. For leisure, Roger’s favorite activity was that of a Bridge player, for which he was highly regarded in his circle of friends. He also constantly ruminated about the laws of thermodynamics and was convinced he could design a variation of Otto cycle engines, “Call it the Gettel cycle,” extracting 50% more useful energy from a gallon of gasoline. No practical example was ever constructed. Roger married Velma “Midge” Marianne Yost on October 28, 1961 at First United Methodist Church in Birmingham and settled in Bloomfield Hills to raise a family. He is survived by his wife, Midge, and his two sons, Eric Gettel and Brad Gettel. Roger is also survived by his 4 grandchildren: Jasin Gettel, Ethan Gettel, Aria Gettel and Laura Gettel. No formal services are planned for Roger. His ashes remain in the possession of his widow, Midge.

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Roger W. Gettel

January 2, 1933 - November 15, 2023