Jim was born the eldest of four siblings to Eleanor (Hardwick) and Erman Hartmann in Brownsville, Pennsylvania on May 17, 1936. He married Glenda Condrey in Memphis, Tennessee on August 19, 1961. God blessed them with four children and seven grandchildren. Jim and Glenda were faithful members of First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee for sixty years.
From an early age and into his college years, Jim loved and played many sports including football, baseball, basketball and swimming. He later learned to play golf, and even worked part-time as a custom club-maker at Bert Dargie Golf Company in Memphis. He recounted many stories of the professional golfers like Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino who visited the shop to have clubs made and repaired. Having grown up spending countless hours playing in the Monongahela River, Jim eventually returned to his favorite sport of swimming. He competed in the Senior Olympics on the local, state and national level for many of his later years.
Following high school and at the prompting of his father, Jim joined the U.S. Navy. He may not have known it at the time, but God was at work in his life. It was during his four years of active duty, while stationed at Millington, Tennessee, that he met Glenda and also subsequently committed his life to Jesus Christ. After his discharge Jim embarked on a life-long journey to learn more about Jesus and to share that knowledge and his experiences. From that point forward Jim’s life, both personally and professionally, was solely focused on teaching, training, and discipling others.
Jim eloquently summarized his life in an autobiographical work for his children as follows:
“I was a professional educator in the Shelby County School system for seventeen years, and then spent 20 years in Human Resources with Flavorite Laboratories, Inc. I have served the body of Christ at First Evangelical Church as a teacher, deacon and elder and have chaired various boards over the years. I was privileged to be a part of the original Board of Trustees that founded Evangelical Christian School. Whatever good that has been accomplished in my life is because of God’s love and grace working in my heart, the love of Christ that constrains me, and the power of the Holy Spirit that drew me to the Savior and now lives within me to conform me to the image of His Son. May God be praised and may this legacy live on in the hearts of our children and their children for all generations until Jesus comes again.”
AMEN!!
Jim is survived by his daughter, Terri Graham, and her children Emma, Grayson, and Samuel; his son, Mark Hartmann (Kris), and their children, Ella and Abby; and his daughter, Melissa Mooney (Jim), and their children, Thomas and Libby. He is also survived by his siblings Erm Hartmann (JoDee), Bill Hartmann (Becky), and Betsy Toma (Stan), as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Glenda Hartmann; daughter, Jamie Lynn Hartmann; son-in-law, Burt Graham and parents, Eleanor and Erman Hartmann.
A visitation for Jim will be held on Monday, February 13, 2023 from 5:00 until 7:00 PM, at Memphis Funeral Home, 5599 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119. A funeral service will occur Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at 12:30 PM, also at the funeral home. A committal service with military honors will follow at 2:00 PM, at West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 4000 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, TN 38125.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Evangelical Christian School (www.ecseagles.com/support-ecs) or to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org).
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemphisFuneralPoplar.com for the Hartmann family.
FAMILY
Terri GrahamDaughter
Mark Hartmann (Kris)Son
Melissa Mooney (Jim)Daughter
Emma, Grayson, and Samuel, Ella and Abby, Thomas and LibbyGrandchildren
Erm Hartmann (JoDee), Bill Hartmann (Becky), and Betsy Toma (Stan)Siblings
Glenda HartmannWife (deceased)
Jamie Lynn HartmannDaughter (deceased)
Burt GrahamSon In Law (deceased)
Eleanor (Hardwick) and Erman HartmannParents (deceased)
He also leaves many nieces and nephews to cherish his memory.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.17