Hermann Haertel, beloved father, grandfather and brother passed away on May 25, 2011 in San Antonio, TX. The son of Hermann and Elisabeth (Sieck) Haertel, formerly of Hannover, Germany, he was born in Staten Island, NY on the day the Empire State Building opened - May 1, 1931. It was also the day the Bayonne Bridge was completed and opened to the public. Herm’s father and sisters walked across to New Jersey and back to celebrate the arrival of their baby boy.
In the family tradition, he was confirmed in German at Trinity Lutheran Church, where his mother ran the German-speaking Sunday School. The Haertels were a musical family; Herm took violin lessons and sang in the Church Choir with his sisters, often performing solos, duets and trios. As a young man Herm enjoyed participating in the Boy Scouts. During his high school summers he worked in rural Vermont through the Volunteer Land Corps organized by famed journalist Dorothy Thompson as part of the War Effort to support U.S. Agriculture. While most NY boys were placed on dairy farms, by a never-explained circumstance Herm was assigned to a mink farm run by Willie Shortsleeves, where his job was the preparation of food for the animals. He was a great storyteller all his life and his tales of the mink farm were among the most-requested. This experience also earned him the nickname "Mink" in high school. He attended Curtis High School on Staten Island, and Middlebury College in Vermont. He received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in 1975 from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. In 1950 he married his high school sweetheart Ruth Larsen, with whom he had six children. As a young husband and new father, he enlisted in the US Air Force, and during a 26-year career rose to the rank of Major as a Transport Pilot. He served on bases in New York, Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Germany. He retired honorably in 1978. Following his military career he became very active in the San Antonio Amateur Relay Radio (Hams) and Emergency Response Teams and through these associations, volunteered in many local charitable foundations and community support operations. He traveled the world both as a pilot in the USAF and as a civilian using his perks as part-time travel agent. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Ruth, his sister Christa, his infant son Mark, and his son Keith.
He is survived by his stepmother Veronika of OH, his sister Margret (Kolbjornsen) of NH, his brother Manfred of OH and his children Gail Airington of OK, Wendy (and Bill) Thomsen of CO, Susie (Mrs. Keith) Haertel of San Antonio, Dean (and Sidney) Haertel of Houston, and Laura (and Travis) Carpenter of Boerne, and grandchildren Richard Wymer, Jerry and Todd Airington, Michael and Sarah Haertel, Russell Smith, ten great-grandchildren and many loving nieces, nephews and friends.
Herm enjoyed camping, sailing, playing the ukulele, reading, photography, air shows, teaching and entertaining. Family and friends will remember Herm as the king of one-liners and for his quick wit, wonderful sense of humor, generosity and warm soul.
The Memorial Service is Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 9:00 AM at the Sunset Northwest Funeral Home and interment will follow with full military honors at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
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