Joseph Della Hartsoe

Joseph (JD) Della Hartsoe Of Springfield, Virginia, passed away on August 18, 2018. He is survived by his children, Hazel May Hartsoe and her husband, Patrick Gray, Joseph Robert Hartsoe and his wife Susan, Mark Harris Hartsoe and his wife Sara, Robert Jones Hartsoe and his wife Kimberly; grandchildren Patrick, Hazel, Oliver, Ella, Milo, Skye, Blaise, Rory, Winslow, Lee, and Katharine; six great grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews and friends. He was fond of telling all who would listen that he was proud of his military and civilian career, but he was more proud of his family. For seventeen straight years, one or more of his four children were attending ten different Colleges or Universities. His family includes doctors, lawyers, engineers, scholars and educators. A pilot during World War II, he served in the Pacific Theater flying the B-25 Mitchell, having received his Wings and Commission in Class 44c. With his B-25 crew, he piloted across the Pacific (while sitting on a phone book) from California to Hawaii, to New Guinea to Clark Field in the Philippines to report to the 345th Bomb Group. At the time, this flight was one of the furthest, if not the furthest, permanent change in station with aircraft ever issued by the Army Air Corps. While with the 345th Bomb Group, he was awarded four stars on his Asiatic Ribbon – one for Western Pacific, one for troop support and two for the offense against Japan in China. He also flew over Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortly after the atomic bombs were dropped. As he flew over each at about 1000 feet, he reflected that no other single weapon had caused such destruction, horror, or despair and thought, “But for God’s Will, that could have been my home town.” Born and raised in Weldon, North Carolina, he graduated from Weldon High School in1938 and attended North Carolina State University both before and after World War II. In 1949, he received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from N.C. State University one weekend and was married to Hazel May Jones the next. JD stayed in the Air Force Reserve after World War II for twenty-six years. A registered Professional Engineer, JD was an emeritus member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers. The Civil Service Commission rated him at the top of the Engineering Series, GS-15 in six engineering categories – chemical, civil, environmental, construction, sanitation, and general. Beginning in 1951, JD worked in the office of the Chief Chemical Officer of the Chemical Corp. For seven years he was Chief of the Construction Division when the Chemical Corp. had a Construction Program in excess of a billion dollars. For twelve years, he was Resource Manager and Program Director for one of the eight funding programs of Army Material Command. He retired from the Civil Service in 1980 and the Air Force Reserves in 1981 as a Major. In retirement, he assisted in the formation of the Northern Virginia Senior Softball Association and played Senior Softball for twenty six years until he was 87. JD was an active member of the Annandale United Methodist Church and the Annandale Rotary Club where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow in 1986 and received the “Spirit of Rotary” award in 2006. He was a Master Mason for over fifty years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Annandale Rotary Foundation, Inc. PO Box 143, Annandale, VA 22003. The Rotary Foundation will utilize these donations to support scholarships and other charitable efforts in the Annandale area. Please include JD’s name in the memo line. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 11:00 am at Annandale United Methodist Church. Burial will occur at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.