Joseph Hartinger

Funeral Mass for Joseph Hartinger, 98, of Glen Ullin will be 10:00 a. m. CDT Thursday, July 11, 2013 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Glen Ullin with Father Roger Synek celebrating. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, NDRosary for Joe will be recited at 9:00 a. m. CDT, on Thursday at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Joseph passed away on Saturday, July 6, 2013 at the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon, ND. Joseph R. Hartinger was born on March 23, 1915 to George and Mary (VanAckeren) Hartinger. Joe attended Sacred Heart Catholic School in Glen Ullin through the 8th grade. He was orphaned as a youngster and raised by an uncle and older sister. In 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, Joe decided to help out his uncle, sister and younger siblings by going to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC’s. He was 16 years old at the time. The CCC paid him $30 a month, of which $25 was sent home to family. On April 16, 1942, Joe married Helen (Wallery) Hartinger in Baker, Montana. She passed away on June 7, 1997. Joe joined the army at the age of 26 for a one year stint. He was in the army for nine months when Pearl Harbor was attacked. After that, his one-year commitment meant nothing. He was to stay in the army for the duration of World War II. His stint in the army lasted for 4 years, 7 months, and 6 days. He was in a construction platoon in a reconnaissance unit. When he was in the army, he became a boxer. Most of the boxers his size were afraid of him. When he fought all of the welterweight opponents, he put on five pounds and won the Sixth Infantry Division middleweight championships. He fought 36 times, losing only once. Joe started his own construction business after working for a lumber company for 20 years. He built many homes in the Glen Ullin area. Construction and woodworking continued to be a big part of his life. Hiking, running, and cross-country skiing were also very important in his life. When a rural mail carrier’s truck broke down during a very harsh North Dakota winter, he was asked to deliver mail on skis. At the age of 75, he ran 2-1/2 miles every other day in the winter and six to ten miles in the summer. For over 35 years Joe was one of the top archers in the state of North Dakota. He was the oldest runner during the 1989 North Dakota Centennial torch run. Joe stopped working for several years to take care of his wife when she became ill. He returned to work when she entered the nursing home in 1992. In June of 2010, Joe entered the North Dakota Veteran’s Home in Lisbon, North Dakota. While there Joe continued to enjoy wood working, especially making clocks. He also enjoyed bingo, leather craft and jigsaw puzzles. Joe is survived by his children Carole Mulkey, Medford, Oregon; Joyce Koski, Gilbert, Arizona; Kathy (Herman) Gerving, Whitehall, Montana; James (Jennifer) Hartinger, Rapid City, South Dakota; and Julie (Perry) Donnelly, Columbus, Indiana; one sister, Catherine Folliard, Sonoma, California; 19 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and 3 great- great-grandchildren. Joe was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Helen; three brothers, Theodore, Frank and Lawrence; two sisters, Anna and Sister Gemma; one son-in-law, Clint Koski; and an infant great-grandson, Joseph Capers. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to The North Dakota Veterans Home Activities Fund.


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Burial Date: July 11, 2013
Funeral Home Glen Ullin, ND

Funeral Mass: Thursday, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Glen Ullin, ND