Wesley Lyal Hartman, age 58, passed away at his home in Jacksonville, Oregon on October 25, 2015, ending a fourteen month struggle with glioblastoma brain cancer. Wes was born on July 21, 1957 in Grangeville, Idaho to Homer and Dolly Hartman, joining siblings Stephen and Sally. As a child he moved several times until Homer retired from the US Forest Service in 1964 in St. Wiles Idaho. Wes graduated from Saint Maries High School in 1975 and attended the University of Idaho obtaining two B.S. degrees in Range Science and Agricultural Economics. He pledged the Theta Chi Fraternity and maintained lifelong friendships with his fraternity brothers.
He worked for Farm Credit Services for 34 years, retiring earlier this year. Wes took pride in authoring agricultural loans for customers who used the money wisely and became prosperous as a result. Many of his customers became family friends. He had a particular affection for his customers in Scott Valley near Yreka, California. He admired the fact that the people there were dedicated to managing their family farms to be passed down through the succeeding generations.
Wes married the love of his life, Mona Petersen Hartman in 1986 and settled in Jacksonville, Oregon and began the restoration of the Dowell-Hartman House. The Italianate-Style brick house has been in the Hartman family since 1910. Built in 1859, it was in need of every sort of renovation. With Mona’s vision and a great deal of hard work, the old house turned into a lovely home for Wes, Mona and their children, Alexandra and Jake.
Wes was interested in people in general and different cultures in particular. He traveled extensively in Europe, Japan, Nepal and India; sometimes with family members and sometimes with his fraternity brothers. He loved the outdoors and made a point of climbing a mountain or two every summer. When Wes realized that he had a terminal illness he began a long goodbye. Early in his illness he went on long walks and drives with his son Jake, discussing subjects near and dear to their hearts. It was not easy for him to travel but he attended the weddings of his two Grant nieces; Shannon on March 14 and Kellie on August 1. On April 8, 190 people attended his retirement party from Farm Credit Services. In late April, Wes and Mona went to a University of Northern Colorado college drama presentation starring niece Violet Anastasia Reis. In July, he had a reunion with fifteen Theta Chi fraternity brothers. In September, daughter Alexandra and her husband Will moved to Boston so Allie could attend graduate school at Harvard. Wes had an idea on how to keep Allie feeling loved after he passed away. He purchased a very warm coat and boots from LL Bean to protect her from the severe Boston winters and she was able to model it for him before he passed.
Wes was always a faithful friend, a doting uncle to his nieces and nephews, a loyal brother and brother-in-law, a wonderful father to his children and a devoted husband to his dear wife, Mona. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville, Jacksonville-Applegate Rotary, Theta Chi Fraternity, Small Woodlands Association and a supporter of Jackson and Siskiyou Cattlemen’s Association and 4-H.
Wes is survived by his wife Mona Hartman, daughter Alexandra and her husband Will Moore, son Hayes Jacob Hartman, brother Stephen and Barbara Hartman, sister Sally and Mark Grant and his beloved in-laws; Suzanne Petersen and Terry Tanneberg, Leslie Petersen and Wayne Myers, Karen and Bill Kneadler, Noreen Reis and Phil Barrett plus many nieces, nephews and cousins.
I am thinking of my dear friend Wes at 4:15am. How I miss him. It is now more than 1 year since Wes changed addresses. He has moved on to better things. Yet my heart longs for those wonderful times together.