James Douglas Hartel
May 7, 1941 - June 25, 2008
My (Sherry's) Dad passed away on June 25th
after a long battle with cancer.
This is a difficult time for our family, so whatever we say here simply will not express what we are feeling right now.
Dad served over thirty years in the United States Air Force,
and was a veteran of the Vietnam War.
He was also a talented and passionate football player
who played in several military leagues, then coached in England.
Later, he coached a semi-pro/minor league football team and
then college football during his retirement years.
He loved flying and fishing, travel and antiques, art and culture.
He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and through his life and travels with the Air Force lived all over the United States, the Phillipines, Japan, and England.
He was so excited to hear about our experiences exploring Wisconsin last week. He gave us a tour of his childhood neighborhood over the phone as we drove around and described the area to him and took photos. Sadly, we were never able to show him the photos we took for him. But he was so happy that day to share his past and our family history. I am enormously thankful that our last words to each other were, "I love you."
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The funeral mass will be held
Thursday, the 3rd of July
at 11:30 a.m.
St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church
7005 Brockton Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506
The internment will take place afterwards (~1:45 p.m.) at
the National Cemetery in Riverside
with full military honors and twenty-one gun salute.
(Several people have inquired about donations in lieu of flowers.
Donations may be made to Loma Linda University Medical Center, Cancer Institute.)
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High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor even eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
-- John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
We've been horrible about posting lately. Sherry was trying to get ramped up at the firm her first month back, then had to travel for work, and then
