“I told him I’d ordered a case of our favorite wine from our favorite vineyard in Napa, because I didn’t think we were going to get back to San Francisco anytime soon,” she said. “We were both so excited.”

Amid all of the excitement, something terrible happened. The very next day, two days before his birthday, two days before the surprise party his wife planned for him, he died.

Martin Lee Gettman, of Atlanta, who battled and beat a rare cancer five years earlier, died of unknown causes Sept. 15 after collapsing in the couple's home. He was 49. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Lawrence Catholic Church. The body was cremated. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.

Friends and family say over the past two years, Mr. Gettman seemed to enjoy life more than ever. He transitioned from an introvert to somewhat of an extrovert, said Rachel Domba, a friend and former coworker

“He was a quiet and unassuming man,” she said. “But after their romance took off, he went from being a gray person to being full of color.”

Mr. Gettman worked for McKesson, a health care information technology company, where he met his wife.

“It really was an office romance,” Ms. Domba said. “He gave her all of this love and they really brought out the best in each other. It is hard for me to talk about him without talking about her.”

Mr. Gettman was active in the Sagamore Hills Civic Association, where he served as secretary for the past two years. His understated presence on the board didn’t go unnoticed by his neighbors.

“He was quiet, but when he would speak he gave great words of wisdom,” said Derek Scheidt who lives in the neighborhood. “He lead by example, and it was a great example.”

Mr. Gettman also loved by example, his wife said.

“We didn’t try to outdo one another with gifts, but there were just always these things we wanted to do for each other,” she said. “He was always doing things that showed me how much he loved me, and I tried to do the same for him.”

He is also survived by daughters, Jenna Elie of Los Angeles and Tricia Ray of Soddy Daisy, TN; son, Ryan Gettman of Ft. Myers, Fla.; mother, Susan Gettman of Poquoson, VA; a sister and a granddaughter.