John A. Hartwig Sr., 77
ADAMS, Mass. — John Alfred Hartwig Sr., 77, of 75 Commercial St., died Friday evening, Nov. 5, 2004, at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield.
Born in Adams on Aug. 10, 1927, son of Reinhold and Laura Charbonneau Hartwig, he graduated from the former Adams High School in 1945 and from the former Berkshire Business College in 1963.
A Navy veteran of World War II, he served in the Atlantic as a gunner's mate aboard the USS Kearsarge, and later on the aircraft carrier USS Midway.
A certified public accountant, Mr. Hartwig was employed for many years by the former National Cash Register in Pittsfield. He also worked for several local gas stations, including his late brother's business, the former Henry's Gulf Service Station. He retired in 1975 because of ill health.
He was a communicant of St. Stanislaus' Church and was a member of American Legion Post 160, VFW Post 1995 and the Maple Grove Civic Club.
He was the current president of the Mill House Tenants Association and had volunteered for the Berkshire Food Project and the Brown Bag and SHARE food programs.
He was an avid hunter and fisherman.
His wife, the former Sophie V. Scieszka, whom he married Sept. 4, 1950, died Feb. 16, 1982.
He leaves a son, John A. Hartwig Jr. of North Adams; a daughter, Bonnie Whitney of North Adams; two brothers, Edward O. Hartwig of North Adams and Earl Hartwig of Adams; two grandsons, Alan Thurston of Cheshire and Evan Thurston of North Adams; a great-granddaughter, Emily Thurston of Cheshire; his longtime companion, Debra DeFoe, and several nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by two brothers, Ronald and Henry Hartwig, and two grandsons.
FUNERAL NOTICE — The funeral for Mr. Hartwig will be Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 9 from Trottier Pringle Funeral Home, 6 Summer St., Adams, followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial celebrated at 10 in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Adams, by the Rev. Daniel J. Boyle, pastor of the Parishes of Notre Dame-St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Stanislaus.
Burial will follow in St. Stanislaus Kostka Cemetery, Adams. Calling hours at the funeral home will be Tuesday from 8 until the time of the service. Flowers are welcome, or memorial donations can be made to the Berkshire Food Project or St. Jude's Children's Hospital through the funeral home.