Marvin L. Hartman Sr., age 76, of Northern Morrow County, died Saturday evening, September 29, 2012, at the Morrow County Hospital following an extended illness.
On March 15, 1936, Marvin was born in Zanesville, Ohio, the son of the late Arthur and Thelma (Harper) Hartman. He grew up in Duncan Falls, Ohio and attended Philo High School.
Following high school, Marvin enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp. to serve with his fellow countrymen in the Korean Conflict. He had been stationed in Korea, serving as an infantryman towards the end of the war, after the peace treaty had been signed and there was still police action.
After his honorable discharge, Marvin returned home to be with his high school sweetheart, Shelby Confer. They were married soon thereafter on September 1, 1956 in Duncan Falls, Ohio.
As a family, Marvin and Shelby moved to Morrow County in 1965 for work. After working a few other jobs, Marvin found a home at the Marion Power Shovel, where he worked as a welding supervisor for 24 years until his retirement in 1997.
The saying “you can take the boy from the farm, but you can’t take the farm from the boy” was certainly true with Marvin. After his retirement, one of his favorite pastimes was tending to his small 10 acre farm at his home, where he bailed hay and grew a vegetable garden “as big as he could make it”. He also enjoyed caring for and watching his horses there.
After his health prohibited him from being able to farm, Marvin surprised his entire family when he started helping in the kitchen, learning to cook for the first time. He enjoyed helping Shelby make cookies and trying new recipes.
A sports fanatic, Marvin was an avid Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns fan. He especially enjoyed watching and rooting for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, making it to as many of their games as he could. He even coached little league baseball for many years,
Despite having strong opinions, anyone who knew Marvin knew he was a deeply caring and giving man. And most important of all to Marvin was his family, he always said his greatest accomplishment was his family and he reminded them as often as he could just how proud he was of all of them.
Marvin will be dearly missed by his wife, Shelby Hartman of Galion; five children: Michael (Cindy) Hartman of Marion, Melody (Marty) King of Ashville, Marvin (Gerry) Hartman Jr., Mark Hartman, Myron (Tammy) Hartman, all three of Mount Gilead, OH; 10 grandchildren: Amy Fisher, John (Sara), Erik, and Luke Diosi, Evan (Lauren) Hartman, Eli Hartman, Lance and Kendra Hartman, and John and Daniel Brewer; and 7 great-grandchildren.
Including his parents, Marvin was preceded in death by a son, Jeffrey Hartman; and a brother, Jerry Hartman.
The Hartman family will greet friends from 4 – 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3, 2012, at the Snyder Funeral Home, 76 S. Main St., Mount Gilead. Services honoring his life will also be held there at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, with Pastor T. J. McNew III of the Fresh Faith Community Church officiating. Burial with military honors will follow in Bloomfield Cemetery near Sparta.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Marvin L. Hartman Sr. Scholarship Fund, and they may be sent in care of the funeral home.
Snyder Funeral Homes of Mount Gilead is honored to have been chosen to serve Marvin’s family and your private condolences may be expressed to them by visiting www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.
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