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John G. Hartman

This obituary originally appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on Oct. 18, 1997

John Gilbert Hartman died Oct. 12, 1997, in the intensive care unit of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital after a vicious, brutal attack.

John was born on his father's 30th birthday on Sept. 15, 1982, in Tucumcari, N.M., and moved with his family to Healy, Alaska, in April 1985.

He was a well-liked child and completed kindergarten and half of first grade in Healy. In December 1989, the family moved to Fairbanks. John studied hard in school, made friends easily and loved sports. During elementary and junior high, he played indoor soccer. He also played three years of junior football for the Redskins, one year of which the team went undefeated.

He also like to play basketball at Totem Park Church of the Nazarene. In the winter, he enjoyed snowmachining and sledding. A good friend of the family was planning on teaching John how to snowboard this winter. During the summer, he loved to swim, Sea Doo, water ski, hike, fish and camp out. He was only short one class to complete junior high school and was trying to make up that class and the first half of the ninth grade before midterm in correspondence study so he could go back to school fulltime.

John helped out on the 1996 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, the year his mother managed the Yukon Quest Store. His 1,000-mile number was 915. He was a very hardworking volunteer who helped out wherever needed.

John was hoping to get a football scholarship to Michigan State University and study to become a veterinarian. He loved animals and they always took an immediate liking to him.

John was well liked and loved by all who knew him. His girlfriends were Chris Hopkins, now of California, and Sheva Corning, who had been seeing John for about two months.

John is survived by grandparents, G. Diana O'Neill, Dorothy M. Glick, Thomas Glick; his mother Evalyn M. Thomas, his father Thomas C. Hartman, his stepfather Michael A. Probert and his brothers, Sean, Michael and Robert.

His mother said, "I feel confident in saying that my son will be missed by all."

Services will be held at Totem Park Church of the Nazarene at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Afterwards a memorial gathering and potluck will be held at Cheap Charlie's, 2701 South Cushman St. Owner Charley Myers has closed the business for the day and generously donated the space for the memorial.

In recognition of the volunteer service given by John Hartman and his family to this community through their work with the Lions clubs, a memorial fund has been created by friends of the family, several Lions clubs, other non-profit and service organizations in the area to help the family defray funeral and hospitalization costs.

Donations can be made to the John Hartman Memorial Fund at any National Bank of Alaska branch in Fairbanks.

John G. Hartman

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