Following is his obituary as it appeared in the Tecumseh Herald in 1880:

"James Getty, an old resident of Ridgeway, died Tuesday night, Nov. 23. He was born in the county of Antrim, Ireland, June 19th 1810, and was 70 years, 5 months and 4 days of age. He came to America in 1851, and settled in New York State, and removed to Michigan in 1854, and settled in Ridgeway on Sec. 36, where he cleared up a farm of eighty acres and lived until about three years ago, when he married his third wife, a widow living in Deerfield township, where he has since resided. Shortly after retiring for the night he complained of being cold, and being distressed in his stomach. His wife arose, and while kindling the fire, he got up, sat down on a chair complaining of dizziness in the head, and in a few moments fell to the floor dead."