Barbara Ann Hartz

Barbara was born and reared in Mishawaka, Indiana. She was recognized as an exceptionally intelligent girl who loved learning, and she thrived in school. Education was the most important goal in her life. She was the valedictorian of her high school class, and she attended Indiana University for a while. Being an absolute whiz with numbers, she quickly became an accountant, and that would forever be her calling. She worked for Wheelabrator in Mishawaka for some time. She later moved to Ohio with her husband to begin their new life together. She worked in accounting for a few companies, including Tibon Hard Chrome. When US Chrome Corporation of Connecticut offered her a position as Controller, she accepted. She and her husband moved to Connecticut in 1980, and there, they lived a long and happy life together. She was a woman who thrived on working. She absolutely loved her job at US Chrome, and she wished she could work there forever. Likewise, she adored all the people she worked with. They were like family to her. She had a wonderful career with them.

When she wasn’t working, she very much enjoyed gardening and being in nature. She also loved reading classic British mystery novels, like those by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. She delighted in watching British television as well, such as Poirot, Miss Marple, and As Time Goes By. Her most favorite film was ‘I Know Where I’m Going!’… which was filmed in the Scottish Highlands in 1945. This all tied in with her profound interest in her maternal ancestry from the British Isles. She loved what she loved with all her heart and soul… and she enjoyed sharing these passionate interests with her family.

Additionally, She was the most generous woman imaginable. She was always there to help those in need. She gave to several charities on a regular basis, and many (if not most) of these charities were for animals. She dearly loved all animals. She had the heart to want to save every animal on the planet. And, one of her favorite activities when her grandchildren were little was to take them to the zoo. She truly loved all of nature. This included taking walks in the woods, going on picnics, and walking along the shoreline of the Long Island Sound, especially in the winter. Her love for nature began as a small child while spending summers with her aunt and uncle at their lake cottage in Michigan, which remained precious memories for her, and continued throughout her life, as she frequented many nature reserves, parks, and nature centers with her grandchildren as well as keeping her own five acre property as a beautiful nature preserve in itself. She was a remarkable woman in many respects, and she will be missed beyond what words could ever express.

She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church. She will be remembered for her faith, her incredible generosity, and her pure love.

She is survived by her children, Todd Hartz, Tim Hartz, and Elizabeth Hartz, her grandchildren, Virginia Garrison, Theo Rodriguez, and Olivia Rodriguez, and her great-grandson, Luciano Sotelo. She was predeceased by her parents Kurt Schelle and Hazel Schelle, and her brothers, Kurt Schelle and Donald Schelle.

Memorial Service to be held Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 11:00 am at Zion Lutheran Church, 780 Grassy Hill Rd, Orange, CT, 06477.