Margaret Jane Keating Hartman

Margaret Hartman, 80, passed away on June 24, 2009, surrounded by her family at her home in Gering, following a brief illness. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, June 29 at First Presbyterian Church in Scottsbluff, with the Reverend Brad Gustafson officiating. A memorial has been established to First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 1438, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363-1438. Margaret was born on February 10, 1929 to Grace Diantha (Work) Keating and Francis John Keating in Loveland, Colorado, the youngest of four Keating siblings. She had three older brothers: Joseph, John, and Paul. Margaret grew up and attended school in Loveland, graduating from Loveland High School in 1947. She attended and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Margaret met and fell in love with her high school sweetheart, Gene Hartman, while at Loveland High School. It was a “Norman Rockwell’s America” type story – he was a star football player, and she was a cheerleader. There is a photo of the two of them in 1947’s The Loveland Indian (the Loveland High School yearbook), sitting in a diner booth and sharing a milkshake with two straws. Norman Rockwell’s America! Margaret and Gene were married in Loveland on September 10, 1950, while they were both still in college at CSU in Fort Collins. Following their college graduations, they lived in Fort Collins for a time. They moved to Torrington, Wyoming and lived on the University of Wyoming Experiment Farm while Gene was pursuing a post-graduate degree in Agriculture. They subsequently moved to Laramie, Wyoming and lived on the Experiment Farm there for the same purpose, during which time Margaret taught both Home Economics and English at Laramie High School. They eventually moved back to Torrington and lived there for many years, finally moving to Gering, Nebraska in 1970. They have lived in Gering ever since. In later years, Margaret entered the real estate profession and worked with several real estate companies in the valley, most notably Century 21 Bitner-Warner Realty and then Century 21 Home Team Realty. Margaret was a devoted daughter to her parents, a beloved sister, the perfect wife, an ideal mother, and a worshipped grandmother. She is survived by her adored husband Gene of Gering, son Scott and wife Margo (Koehler) of Scottsbluff, son Kent of Hudson, Colorado, daughter Jane Heimbouch and husband Brian of Gering, son Jeff and wife Donna (Swaringen) of Thornton, Colorado, and daughter Kathleen Shiverdecker and husband Donald of Colorado Springs. She is also survived by her much-loved grandchildren: Katherine Heimbouch and fiancé Eric Tuttle, Andrea Hartman, Paul Hartman, Susanna Heimbouch, Jacob Hartman, Thomas Heimbouch, Adam Hartman, and Benjamin Hartman. Her surviving siblings include Joseph S. Keating (Mary) of Baytown, Texas, John F. Keating (Barbara) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Paul C. Keating (Patricia) of Winnie, Texas. Margaret was preceded in death by her parents and two Keating nephews.