Meryl Jan Getline
Born Dayton, Ohio on June 26, 1953
Died Colorado Springs, CO on June 19, 2019
After a full and satisfying life, Meryl Getline died of sarcoma
metastatic cancer. She was 65 years old.
Meryl was born in Dayton, Ohio, to Bette Getline and Gordon Lloyd
Getline. She is survived by her three older brothers–from youngest to
oldest: Scott, Lorin and his wife Maria, and Ned and his wife Irene.
She is also survived by her husband, Al Carmickle, their little
Pomeranian Fluffy, and Al’s sister Susie, who moved in with Meryl and Al
to help Al care for her during her struggle with advanced cancer.
Meryl was born in Dayton, Ohio, but the family moved to San Diego when
she was less than a year old. She left home at age 24 to serve three
years as an air traffic controller in the U.S. Army.
She loved to fly and was determined to become an airline pilot before
women were accepted in this profession. After her army commitment, she
flew for several corporations, charter and regional air carriers, and
eventually United Airlines. She met her future husband, Al Carmickle, at
United, where he was also a pilot. They flew numerous flights together
all over the world.
Meryl was enthused about experiencing as many different cultures as
possible at as young an age as possible. As a teenager, she was able to
arrange many trips to different countries to study and enjoy different
cultures and languages.
After she realized her dream of becoming an airline pilot, she authored a
book called, “The World at my Feet – The True and Sometimes Hilarious
Adventures of a Lady Airline Captain.” She also wrote an online column
called ‘Ask The Captain” for USA Today with a worldwide readership of
over 8 million people.
In 2007, Meryl discovered she had a rare cancer called
hemangiopericytoma, now known as a sarcoma or Solitary Fibrous Tumor
(SFT). It was removed surgically but the cancer spread. Meryl and Al
moved from the Denver area to Colorado Springs in October of 2015.
Shortly after moving, Meryl discovered her cancer had metastasized to her
lower left hip after eight years. Major surgery followed to remove
the large mass.
Then, mid-July of 2018 a metastatic brain tumor was discovered and
treated with surgery and radiation. But instead of recovering, numerous
new tumors were discovered and just kept coming. She fought the good
fight with drugs and radiation, but eventually succumbed on June 19, 2019
Meryl will be remembered best for her sense of humor, which can be
readily experienced in her book and Ebook to be published by August 2019
called, Cancer: We Are Not Amused!
A memorial service will be held on September 6, 2019 10 am at Pikes Peak
National Cemetery Colorado Springs
I was a classmate of Meryl’s at Point Loma High School in San Diego, CA- class 1971. We had several classes together but what I remember most was her beautiful smile and quiet demeanor. She was confident and self assured and was fun to be around without being silly at that age. She should have been voted “ most likely to succeed” because she certainly did. God Bless.
She was a wonderfully inspirational person who did an awful lot to encourage other women to pursue their dreams too, no matter who might object.
I first met her when I called in during an interview by Ken Murray, who had invited her as his guest on his daily morning radio program in the Redding, California area. It was a delightful discussion of how she achieved her dream of becoming an airline Captain, in an age when females were discouraged from even applying for such jobs. We then went on to discuss her ideas via email exchanges, for several more years.
She will be sorely missed by many who loved her positive approach to overcoming some of the most difficult obstacles, deliberately tossed into the paths of females who were determined to achieve their wonderful dreams.
Robert J. Boser, Capt. United Airlines, retired.