GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A memorial service will take place Saturday in Grand Rapids to celebrate the life of Patti McGettigan, a tenacious trailblazer who guided winning newsrooms from Michigan to Memphis.
The former WOOD TV8 news director, 53, died Feb. 16 in Memphis after beating cancer for 13 years.
The service will take place at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Grand Rapids noon Saturday. Father Mark Przybysz will preside. Then on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., there will be a celebration of life with music and memories at Kosciusko Hall, 935 Park St. SW in Grand Rapids.
One of McGettigan’s great gifts was her ability to spot news talent. Among those she discovered, hired and mentored while at WOOD TV8 was Brad Edwards, now with CBS Chicago. In an obituary for his first news boss, Edwards wrote, “20 years later, I am professionally who, what, where, and why I am – because of her.”