Obituary for Dr. Allan S. Hartman
Long time Newton resident Dr. Allan S. Hartman passed away on August 26, 2019 at the age of 90 after a courageous battle with metastatic prostate cancer. Husband of 57 years to Anne (Detarando) Hartman, father to Stephan Hartman (Victoria) and Laurie Hartman Vitali (Giorgio), Granddaddy to Giulia Vitali, brother to the late Maxine Nellen, and uncle and great uncle to many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by numerous cousins. Allan was a long-time member of the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, where he held numerous leadership positions and was a mentor, storyteller, and friend to many.
Born in 1928, Allan spent his childhood years in NYC and in Troy, and had a memory (at age 7) of seeing the last NYC civil war parade (with civil war veterans). In 1946, he enlisted in the Army and via the GI bill, went on to graduate from NYU (undergrad), and Harvard School of Education (for his Doctorate’s degree). Allan and Anne met during his time at Harvard. He went on to a distinguished career in education that included stints as a high school principal and as Director of Educational Research for the State of MA.
Allan shared his passion for learning and the arts with his children, bringing them to countless operas, musicals and plays, along with supporting them in their many school endeavors (and never missed a chance to have an Antoine’s pastry!). His commitment to helping those in need included many Walks for Hunger and building homes with Habitat for Humanity. He was a fixture at Newton’s Gath Pool during the summers (and Newton North HS during the winters) – swimming 1 mile a night for over 48 years (up until age 88) and during his 90th birthday party, the City of Newton designated Allan “Newton’s First Fish.”
Full of good humor until the end, his final words to the attending nurse (upon her inquiry as to how we was doing) were: “I’ve had better days.” For those of us who knew and loved Allan as husband, father, Granddaddy, uncle, mentor, and friend, our days were always better with Allan in them.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Allan’s memory to the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton. A celebration of life will be held at 2 pm on Saturday. September 14, 2019 at the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, 1326 Washington Street, West Newton, MA 02464
Born in 1928, Allan spent his childhood years in NYC and in Troy, and had a memory (at age 7) of seeing the last NYC civil war parade (with civil war veterans). In 1946, he enlisted in the Army and via the GI bill, went on to graduate from NYU (undergrad), and Harvard School of Education (for his Doctorate’s degree). Allan and Anne met during his time at Harvard. He went on to a distinguished career in education that included stints as a high school principal and as Director of Educational Research for the State of MA.
Allan shared his passion for learning and the arts with his children, bringing them to countless operas, musicals and plays, along with supporting them in their many school endeavors (and never missed a chance to have an Antoine’s pastry!). His commitment to helping those in need included many Walks for Hunger and building homes with Habitat for Humanity. He was a fixture at Newton’s Gath Pool during the summers (and Newton North HS during the winters) – swimming 1 mile a night for over 48 years (up until age 88) and during his 90th birthday party, the City of Newton designated Allan “Newton’s First Fish.”
Full of good humor until the end, his final words to the attending nurse (upon her inquiry as to how we was doing) were: “I’ve had better days.” For those of us who knew and loved Allan as husband, father, Granddaddy, uncle, mentor, and friend, our days were always better with Allan in them.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Allan’s memory to the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton. A celebration of life will be held at 2 pm on Saturday. September 14, 2019 at the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, 1326 Washington Street, West Newton, MA 02464