Bert Hartinger was born on June 6, 1930 in Glen Ullin, North Dakota to Ted and Mary (Nagel) Hartinger, the second of 4 children. He grew up in Dupree, South Dakota and worked with his father, Ted, at the lumberyard. He majored in History at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN and then served in the U.S. Army stateside during the Korean War. After discharge with a National Defense Service Medal, he utilized the GI Bill to attend grad school at the University of WI-Madison, studying Library Science. This is where he met his future wife, Barbara (Hurd) Hartinger, while they were both studying for the same degree.
Bert and Barbara were married on June 8, 1957 in Milwaukee, WI. They spent their married lives in Milwaukee and had two children, John Hartinger and Ann (Hartinger) Graf. Bert worked for the City of Milwaukee as the City Records Manager and in all served the city of Milwaukee for 33 years, retiring in the early 1990s. He was a very active retiree, always practicing photography and a member of several area camera clubs. Photography was his lifelong art and passion. He read broadly and avidly in English, but practiced his foreign language skills by reading in Spanish and German as well. He and Barbara were active supporters of the arts and culture in Milwaukee.
When Barbara passed away in 2016, Dad continued to be active in photography and in the lives of his children and 4 grandchildren. He was very intelligent and very kind and will be missed by all who knew him. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Bob, and his sister Nadine. He is survived by his son, John, and daughter, Ann, and four grandchildren: Laura, Sam, Sarah, and Gibby Graf, as well as his brother, Harold, and nephews, Craig and Brent Hartinger, sister-in-law Barbara (Suhr) Hartinger, and niece, Hillery (Hartinger) Oberle.
Visitation at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 3970 North 92nd Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday, March 31 at 10:00 AM. Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Interment at Holy Cross Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or to St. Martin Monastery in Rapid City, SD.