Obituary: John Henry Hartford
KS_Newton — John Henry Hartford, Manhattan, passed away
Saturday, June 21, 2013. He was 87.
Born on March 10, 1926, in McPherson, he was the son of
Leona Graves Hartford and Henry E. Hartford. They preceded him in death.
He was the oldest of three children and lived in Sedgwick,
where he attended school until his senior year of high school. His father was
transferred to Buhler, where he continued his education.
On Feb. 29, 1944, he enlisted in the Navy. He left for Basic
Training on June 28, 1944, the day after graduating from Buhler High School. He
was a Seabee, and served on Iwo Jima four days after the initial invasion,
until the end of the war.
His unit was then transferred to occupied Japan, where he
served with the Fourth Marine Unit at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. He returned
home on May 31, 1946.
He then used the GI Bill to complete his education at Kansas
State University, Manhattan, where he earned his degree in Business
Administration.
He worked for Kansas Gas & Electric in El Dorado,
Pittsburg, and Wichita, retiring in 1989.
He was a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge, El Dorado; a
lifetime member of the Sedgwick American Legion; a lifetime member of the
Masonic Lodge in Hutchinson; and a lifetime member of the Scottish Rite,
Wichita. He also supported Ducks Unlimited, and enjoyed hunting.
He was an active member of his church, and had recently
transferred his membership from the Newton Presbyterian Church to the First
Presbyterian Church, Manhattan.
He had followed the footsteps of his grandfather and father,
working for many years at the Kansas State Fair.
On June 6, 1954, he married Mardeen Maxine Bolze, in Kansas
City. She survives.
Other survivors include his daughter, Lynnellen Burns,
Cottonwood Falls; son-in-law, Calvin Burns and grandson, Travis Burns, Halstead;
a sister, Mayetta Parr, Amarillo, Texas; and a brother, Charles Hartford, and
his wife, Lillian, Greenville, Texas.
Services will be held this Thursday at 2 p.m. June 27, 2013,
at the First Presbyterian Church, Manhattan. The family will meet with visitors
following the service at the Kansas Room, Meadowlark Hills, 2121 Meadowlark
Road in Manhattan. Mr. Hartford requested all attending wear purple.
Inurnment will be Friday, June 28, at the National Cemetery,
Leavenworth, at 9 a.m., with Masonic and Military honors.
Memorials and donations may be made in honor of Mr.
Hartford, to the donor's choice, as Mr. Hartford touched everyone in a unique
way. Donations may also be made to the John H. Hartford Scholarship Fund, in
care of the Kansas State University Foundation.
Contributions may be left in care of the
Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502.
Online condolences may be left for the family through the
funeral home website at www.ymlfuneralhome.com.
