Joseph Hartinger

GLEN ULLIN - Joseph "Joe" Hartinger, 98, Glen Ullin, passed away on July 6, 2013, at the North Dakota Veterans Home, Lisbon. Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. CDT Thursday, July 11, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Glen Ullin, with the Rev. Roger Synek celebrating. Burial will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

A rosary will be recited at 9 a.m. CDT Thursday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Joseph R. Hartinger was born March 23, 1915, to George and Mary (VanAckeren) Hartinger. Joe attended Sacred Heart Catholic School in Glen Ullin through the eighth grade. He was orphaned as a youngster and raised by an uncle and older sister.

In 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, Joe decided to help out his uncle, sister and younger siblings by going to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCCs. He was 16 years old at the time. The CCC paid him $30 a month, of which $25 was sent home to family.

On April 16, 1942, Joe married Helen (Wallery) Hartinger in Baker, Mont. She passed away on June 7, 1997.

Joe joined the army at the age of 26 for a one year stint. He was in the army for nine months when Pearl Harbor was attacked. After that, his one-year commitment meant nothing. He was to stay in the army for the duration of World War II. His stint in the army lasted for four years, seven months and six days. He was in a construction platoon in a reconnaissance unit.

When he was in the army, he became a boxer. Most of the boxers his size were afraid of him. When he fought all of the welterweight opponents, he put on five pounds and won the Sixth Infantry Division middleweight championships. He fought 36 times, losing only once.

Joe started his own construction business after working for a lumber company for 20 years. He built many homes in the Glen Ullin area. Construction and woodworking continued to be a big part of his life.

Hiking, running and cross-country skiing were also very important in his life. When a rural mail carrier's truck broke down during a very harsh North Dakota winter, he was asked to deliver mail on skis. At the age of 75, he ran 2½ miles every other day in the winter and six to 10 miles in the summer.

For over 35 years, Joe was one of the top archers in the state of North Dakota. He was the oldest runner during the 1989 North Dakota Centennial torch run.

Joe stopped working for several years to take care of his wife when she became ill. He returned to work when she entered the nursing home in 1992.

In June 2010, Joe entered the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon. While there, Joe continued to enjoy woodworking, especially making clocks. He also enjoyed bingo, leather craft and jigsaw puzzles.

Joe is survived by his children, Carole Mulkey, Medford, Ore., Joyce Koski, Gilbert, Ariz., Kathy (Herman) Gerving, Whitehall, Mont., James (Jennifer) Hartinger, Rapid City, S.D., and Julie (Perry) Donnelly, Columbus, Ind.; one sister, Catherine Folliard, Sonoma, Calif.; 19 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Helen; three brothers, Theodore, Frank and Lawrence; two sisters, Anna and Sister Gemma; one son-in-law, Clint Koski; and an infant great-grandson, Joseph Capers.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the North Dakota Veterans Home Activities Fund.

Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at www.stevensonfuneralhome.com. (Spangelo-Stevenson Funeral Home, Glen Ullin/Hebron)