Obituaries

Thomas E. Hartman

PORTAGE  --  Thomas E. Hartman, age 88, passed away on Thursday, March 17, 2016, at Tivoli in    Portage.

Tom was preceded in death by his wife, Kay; his daughter, Donna; and his son, Thomas (Debbie). He is survived by his sister, Mary Zwettler of Mount Horeb, WI; and his children, Susan (Clint) of Aurora, IL; Daniel (Trisha) of Lakeville, MN; John (Gail) of Madison, WI; Paul (Laurie) and Robert (Janet) of Portage, WI; 13 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

Tom was a Corporal in the U.S. Army serving from 1947 to 1949. After the Army, he worked in Esser’s Hardware Store on Lakeside Street in Madison and for the W.T. Rogers Company before joining the Jewel Tea Company and starting his own route in the Portage area. Tom was known as the “Jewel T Man” for over 25 years to his customers, many of whom also became his friends. In the later years of his sales career, Tom and Kay managed their own company as the Jewel Companies disbanded the home delivery service, allowing the employees to form and develop J.T.’s General Store and continue sales to their many loyal customers. Eventually, the long-married couple retired to their beloved country farm house settling on County U outside of Portage. There they enjoyed the quiet setting, vegetable and flower gardens, fruit trees and the multitude of wildlife—especially the birds! For many years, Tom and Kay were involved in the SHARE Program (Kay was the area’s coordinator) and Tom also was very active as a deliverer for Meals on Wheels in Portage.

Visitation will be held at Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage on Saturday, March 19, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 6:30 p.m.

The family wishes to express their sincere appreciation to the staff at Our House Senior Living in Portage until his death. Appreciation and gratitude also to the nurses and doctors at Divine Savior Hospital and Tivoli who cared for Tom the final days of his life—he called them “his angels”.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to Meals on Wheels, Tivoli at Divine Savior Healthcare, 2805 Hunter’s Trail, Portage, Wisconsin 53901.

 

Obituaries
For information please call 608 742-2126 (Portage, WI) or 608 635-2763 (Poynette, WI)