Martin Francis Hartmann, 77, of Brookfield, CT, passed away on July 24 at Danbury Hospital following an extended illness. He was the loving husband of Rosemary (Puma) Hartmann, and together they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in May. Marty, as he was known to all, was born in Weehawken, New Jersey, on July 29, 1937 to Martin John and Cecilia Loretta (Greene) Hartmann. He grew up in Ozone Park, New York, and graduated from St. Elizabethâs Elementary School and Most Holy Trinity High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. He spent many summers with his brother, Paul, his Aunt Nettie, Uncle Harry and cousin, Joe Hartmann, in Highland Falls, NY, exploring the Hudson Valley. Then the city boy moved to the country, earning an Associateâs Degree in Applied Science from the State University of New York Agricultural and Technical Institute at Farmingdale, where he majored in agricultural production technology. He planned to become a dairy farmer and continued his studies at Michigan State Universityâs College of Agriculture, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in food science. Diagnosed with allergies that would prevent him from pursuing his career in farming, Marty put his knowledge to use by becoming a field engineer for PepsiCo, based in Purchase, N.Y. He and Rosemary moved to Brookfield in 1969 and raised their family on the shores of Candlewood Lake. He maintained a love of farming and horticulture throughout his life, planting vegetable and flower gardens and traveling to local and regional agricultural fairs and farms owned by his friends and former schoolmates. He also had a passion for trains, from Lionel model trains to life-size locomotives, and enjoyed riding the rails with his wife, children and grandchildren. A deeply spiritual man, he was a communicant of St. Joseph Church in Brookfield, a Eucharistic minister, and proudly joined the ranks of the Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree in 2008. After leaving PepsiCo, Marty became an entrepreneur and local business owner. One of his companies delivered âpeople, pets and packagesâ throughout the Tri-State area, and his passengers included Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Plummer and five golden retrievers owned by a former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet. Besides his wife, Marty is survived by his daughter, Jennifer (Hartmann) Clement, her husband, Douglas, and grandchildren, Paul and Avery, of Morris; a son, Martin, and his wife, Julie, and grandchildren, Andrew and Jack, of New Milford; a daughter, Susan (Hartmann) Grammatico, and her husband, Nicholas, of New Milford; a daughter, Christine, of Vista, California; a brother, Paul, and nephew, Christopher, of Ozone Park, NY, and several cousins.
View Full Notice → Martin F Hartmann – July 29, 1937 – July 24, 2015