Hartwig Hans Heinrich Vatheuer

1939 - 2024

Hartwig Hans Heinrich Vatheuer February 16, 1939 - May 24, 2024 Hartwig Hans Heinrich Vatheuer was born on February 16, 1939 in Stolzenfelde, Germany. He was the youngest of 7 siblings with 5 older sisters and one younger brother. His family was forced to leave their home during the World War 2 and lived for eight years as refugees in Bisperode, a village in western Germany. In 1953, his family was sponsored by a Lutheran family in Idaho through The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and were able to come to the United States. They came by boat through Ellis Island with only one suitcase each. His youngest sister was not able to come to America with her family because a spot had been found on her lung during her health examination. Hartwig kept in close contact with her during his lifetime. His family lived first in Idaho and later farmed in Wapato, Washington. Finally, they settled in Portland, Oregon.

Before attending college, Hartwig joined the army. He served from 1959 to 1962 and for most of those years he was stationed near Munich, Germany. His aunt and uncle lived nearby so he was able to visit them occasionally. He did receive some strange looks since people weren't used to seeing a German in an American army uniform. He always said he would not have given up his years in the army for anything.

Hartwig attended Portland State College where he met his future wife, Mary. He continued his education at Oregon State University where he majored in Forestry. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who had been a forester in Germany.

Hartwig and Mary married in 1969 and had two sons, Martin and Stefan. In order to keep fit, Hartwig became interested in running, which ended up including the whole family. After competing in many 10K races, in which he often won ribbons for his age group, he moved on to distance running and participated in several Seattle marathons. He kept running into his 70's and didn't give it up until Cle Elum's Dr. Anderson told him to. After Hartwig stopped running, he contented himself with helping out with the local Runner Stumbles Race.

Good Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Cle Elum became Hartwig's and Mary's church home. Hartwig served as treasurer, helped to take care of the grounds and often helped people out through the church.

Hartwig had a long and interesting career with Plum Creek Timber Co. and made many lasting friendships. After serving in Newport and Seattle, he arrived in Cle Elum in 1984, at a time when the company was facing many challenges. He welcomed the opportunity to do his very best for the company. After he retired, he looked forward to the quarterly Plum Creek "Romeo" lunches and visiting with his former colleagues.

Here in Cle Elum he pursued his life-long interest in gardening, and growing trees and flowers, always accompanied by his current German shepherd dog. He and Mary raised pygmy goats, which brought him a lot of enjoyment, especially when the little ones were born.

In addition, Hartwig became interested in helping out in the community and joined Kiwanis, which became very important to him. Several projects captured his interest and this led to planting many trees in the city with his Kiwanis friends. He was always happy when someone told him how much they liked the trees planted on what is now Hartwig Blvd. The annual Kiwanis Christmas tree sale was his favorite activity and he always looked forward to it. He was involved in many other community projects and always enjoyed being a part of the action. The public restroom on First Street, for example, was a Chamber of Commerce project and continues to serve the community.

In 2002, Hartwig became a commissioner for Kittitas County Hospital District 2 and served on various boards and committees over the years. He believed that health care was of supreme importance and wanted to serve the community he had come to love.

Four years ago Hartwig and Mary moved from their hobby farm to a smaller home. They considered moving closer to their sons but Hartwig felt so tied to the community that they decided to remain in Cle Elum. He questioned why he should move when he had friends here and there was still so much work to be done.

Hartwig died on May 24, 2024 and is now with his Lord and Savior, but he will be missed by those who loved him. He is survived by his wife Mary, his sons Martin (Brooke) and Stefan (Jeannie) and six grandchildren: Luke, Elsa, Ruby, Rosie, Luca and Lexi.

There will be a Celebration of Life at UKC Senior Center, 719 E. Third, Cle Elum at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, 2024.