On Tuesday, July 1st, 2025, Norbert Ray Hartman passed away peacefully at his daughter's
home in Clarksville, Tennessee. He was 90 years old. Norbert was born on July 21st,1934 in
Fort Wayne, Indiana to Max and Nellie (Stapleton) Hartman. He lived in Indiana most of his
life, with short-term residences in Texas, Florida and more recently Clarksville, Tennessee.
He attended North Side High School in Fort Wayne, transferring to Arcola High School
midway through. He played basketball for both schools and graduated from Arcola High
School.
Norbert married his high school sweetheart, Betty L. Allen in Fort Wayne on January 17th
, 1953. Betty preceded him in death on April 6th of this year. They were married for 72 years and
were sweethearts for 74 years, meeting at just 16 years of age. He is survived by two
children, Jennifer Lewis (Jeffrey) of Goshen, Indiana and Stephanie Hartman (James
Beltowski) of Clarksville, TN. He is survived by 9 grandchildren, Patrick Hartman (Tammy),
Amanda Arms (Cory), Zachary Rumple (Josephine), Joshua Rumple (Ashley), Matthew
Drudy (Jessica), Emily Martin (Jared), Benjamin Drudy (Kaycee), Natalie Drudy, and
Elizabeth Riffell (Luke). He is also survived by 16 beloved great grandchildren. Norbert was
preceded in death by his wife, Betty (Allen) Hartman and his son, Glenn R. Hartman.
Norb briefly worked at Essex Wire in Fort Wayne before his stepfather, Ernie Routt, helped
him get a job in construction in Texas as a hod carrier. However, he and Betty soon became
homesick for Indiana family, so they moved back to Fort Wayne where Norb was hired by
Schinnerer and Truemper, Inc., for $1.98/hour as a laborer. Shortly thereafter he began an
apprenticeship to become a bricklayer. Over the years he worked for Crown and Hagerman
Construction Companies, managing the masonry work of many iconic buildings in the Fort
Wayne area, including One Summit Square which is now the Indiana Michigan Power
Center, and St. John's Catholic Church on Fairfield Ave. Norb enjoyed the artistry of
intricate brick work and was excellent at it.
He was a believer in Christ, being confirmed through catechism classes in grade school at
Trinity Elementary in Fort Wayne and having surrendered his heart to Jesus as an adult at
Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Panama City Beach, Florida. He and Betty were active
members in their Florida church, attending services and Sunday school together. His faith
was an important part of his life, as was prayer.
He was an avid fisherman, especially enjoying catching Bluegill at Aldrich Lake in Michigan
and deep-sea fishing in the Gulf. He loved Indiana basketball and Indiana Colts football,
rarely missing any televised games. In this past year he cheered on WNBA's Caitlin Clark
and the Indiana Fever as well.
Norb educated himself about Bluebirds and kept a house for them in his backyard, keeping
track of their nesting habits on his wall calendar. He very much enjoyed all of nature and
would rather be outdoors than anywhere else.
He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather who cared deeply for his family and
friends. As the main caregiver these past few years for Betty, he was diligent and focused,
always saying he was happy to do it. A hard worker at whatever he endeavored to do, and
hard on himself if he made a mistake.
We will miss everything about our Dad and Paw Paw. His sense of humor, his advice, his
smile. He truly was the best, and words really cannot convey what he meant to all of us.
Our hearts are broken, but full of such good memories. His influence will live on in each
one of us. We thank God for blessing us with all the years we had with him.
A service to honor Norbert's life will be held at 2pm on July 11, 2025, at Covington Memorial
Funeral Home 8408 Covington Rd. in Fort Wayne, In. 46804. Visitation will be one hour prior
and burial will follow at Covington Memorial Gardens. His son-in-law, Pastor Jeffrey Lewis
will officiate.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Matthew 25 Clinic at 413 E. Jefferson Blvd. Fort
Wayne, In. 46802