Jacqueline M. Hartman

Jacqueline May Stein was the only child of Gretchen Ziege and Walter Stein who met on the boat in May 1925 while sailing to America. She was born August 4, 1932, in the midst of the depression.

My mom was an excellent student and graduated with good grades from Fosdick Masten High School in 1950. She very much wanted to be a chemist but that wasn’t something women did back in the day and certainly not those from working class immigrant families. Instead, She took bookkeeping courses that led her to a 45-year career at Eberl Iron Works. She once had a plaque on her desk that read, “Old bookkeepers never die, they just become unbalanced.”

Church was central to my mom’s upbringing, and she was active in the youth group at Johnson Street Baptist Church. When still in high school, she met Arthur Hartman at a youth event. She and my dad dated for five years before getting married June 19, 1954.

My parents continued the very German tradition of hard work and each worked 2-3 jobs while living with my mom’s parents to save money for a house. My mother worked full-time until I was born and then part time for many years until I left home. She was very involved as a volunteer at my grade school, Martin Luther, and accompanied many field trips.

Those of you who have known my mother for years can attest to the fact that she was a force of nature - sometimes bringing clear sailing and sometimes bringing stormy seas when she swept into the room. She was extremely strict about appropriate behavior, especially in church. A number of you may still have scars from those tongue lashings that included favorites like “Don’t run in church” and “stop that right now”.

Some of you who have known her a shorter time may hardly believe that a sharp tongue accompanied her equally sharp wit. All of you remember her as a faithful friend, a woman who loved God, and a woman who spoke her mind. You may also remember her as the poster child for the saying, “You can tell a German, but you can’t tell her much.”

Here is what I HOPE that you remember about my mother:

First, I hope you remember her generous hospitality. My mother never let anyone spend a holiday alone. Our table was always full, and I grew up with a variety of unrelated “aunts” and “uncles” sharing our meals and our lives. Virtually everyone in the family and at church was in her home on multiple occasions. She was generous, loved to cook, and loved to take care of people.

Second, I hope you remember her love of God’s word. I recently looked through one of her many Bibles and was reminded of how much she loved to study and that she spent many years teaching adult Sunday school. There is hardly a page in that Bible that doesn’t have multiple markings in the margin and some pages are hard to read because of all of the writing and underlining.

And finally, I hope that my mom’s life is remembered as evidence of God’s hand at work. Slowly over 91 years, God ground down some of the rough edges. He drew her closer to himself, and his work molded her into a woman who loved deeply, prayed without ceasing, and trusted God’s will for her to the end.

Thank you for joining us today to remember her life and celebrate her graduation to her permanent home in heaven. She loved you all.

Grace Hartman Sandeno

For mom's Celebration of Life Service, May 18, 2024

Jacqueline May Hartman (nee Stein), went home to be with her much loved Savior on May 8, 2024, at the age of 91. She was predeceased by husband Arthur Norman Hartman and parents Margaret Stein (Ziege) and Walter Stein. She is survived by daughter Grace (Craig) Sandeno of Parker, CO, and four grandchildren: Michaela (Keiyon) Walton, Katie (Samuel) Estrada, David, and Kristin. Friends and family are invited to a visitation to be held at Dengler, Roberts, and Perna Funeral Home, 8630 Transit Rd., East Amherst, 3-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, 2024. A memorial service will be held at Emmanuel Church, 5353 Goodrich Rd, on Saturday, May 18th at 11 a.m. A light lunch and open mic will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Emmanuel Church, Brothers of Mercy, or Hospice Buffalo.