Donald Kenneth Gartman
April 13, 1944 - June 07, 2022
- Share:
Donald Kenneth Gartman
April 13, 1944 - June 07, 2022
Obituary
On the morning of June 7, 2022, Donald Kenneth Gartman, Ph.D., loving husband and father of two children, passed away quietly at home. He was 78.
Don was born in Cleveland, OH, in the family home, to Juanita Rider-Gartman and Wilbert Gartman on April 13, 1944. As Juanita settled in with her baby boy, the papers that day reported allied bombers over both Germany and the Pacific.
Growing up in Cleveland he had three siblings, brother Ron who was nearly 3 when Don was born, sister Beverly who comes along a couple of years after, and brother Rick the youngest of the four. Don always held family close to his heart and while he hadn’t seen them much recently, he never hesitated to open his favored flip-phone and dial them up for a quick question or shared memory.
Don developed an early curiosity about science and the nature of things. He remained proud for all his days of his triumphs in his school’s Victory Garden, and the Cleveland Public Schools garden tract award ribbons on his office wall today provide evidence of this blossoming interest in his childhood years. That lifelong wonder and bottomless desire to learn would form the basis of his professional life and initiate the personal connections that brought him love, hobbies, and friends across continents.
Don attended Ohio State University and obtained his Bachelor of Arts with a double-major in Zoology and German in 1965. He followed that up with a Master of Science in Zoology in 1969 and obtained his doctorate in Zoology in 1973, studying in Fishery Biology and Limnology.
Don studied in Austria in 1964. His foster family became lifelong friends and it was here he met his first wife, Linda Martinson. Back in the USA, they had their son, Timothy Gartman, on July 2, 1967.
In the graduate-level Population Ecology class at OSU in 1970, Don sat behind the only girl in the class. Loretta and Donald started their love story here. It would take them through the end of their scholastic careers and on to visit lands in Africa, Europe, and across the United States. They married on April 19, 1971, and in December 1974, settled now in Landenberg, PA, their daughter, Annalisa, was born.
Don moved his small family to Delaware and worked for Columbia Gas System Service as an Environmental Coordinator for 22 years. In 1996, Don and Loretta moved to Charleston, WV, where Don worked for Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation as Manager of Construction Services. He retired from Columbia Gas in 2000 and remained in Charleston, with Loretta, until his passing.
Don continued his passion for animals and the natural world and shared it with all he met. Cats were always in residence, wild birds constantly fed, and flowers, trees, and aquatic plants seemed to be forever rooting and growing beyond their borders. He was active for years in Trout Unlimited and taught his daughter and son-in-law how to tie on a fly and cast a dry line into the stream. He doted on his grand-dog and goldfish still swim in the tiny pond in his backyard.
Don held a strong love of humanity and fascination for the human condition. He adored poetry, perhaps humanity’s most expressive form of literature, and would drop poems into the mailbox or inbox of family and friends whenever struck by the need. He volunteered with and was active in the local Unitarian Universalist Association. He communicated his faith in people with stories and jokes; he knew a great many stories and jokes. The jokes were invariable of the “Dad” variety and the stories were generally of personal experiences, unencumbered by any abundance of accuracy that might delay getting to the punchline or memory. Dinner may go cold before a story of inspiration was told.
In 2003, Don’s son, Tim, passed away at only 35 years of age. Tim’s battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was years long and hope ranged wildly throughout. The loss had a profound effect on Don’s outlook on life and his own future in this world.
Don is survived by his wife, Loretta; his daughter, Annalisa, and her husband, Stefan; his siblings, Ron, Beverly, and Rick; and his nephews, nieces, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Juanita and Wilbert, and his son, Tim.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, 2022, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Charleston, WV.
In lieu of flowers, Don would implore you to listen to Jean Sibelius’s “Finlandia” and Iris Dement’s song ‘Let the Mystery Be’. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association at https://www.heart.org/.
You may send condolences to the family at www.BarlowBonsall.com.
Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
12 responses to Donald Kenneth Gartman
Bill Hallett says:
January 16, 2023
I just found out that my childhood friend has passed away.
Don and I grew up in Cleveland together. K-8 at Benjamin Franklin where we all had school gardens and 9-12 at Rhodes HS.
If you allow a little tidbit of history..,Don and I rode to a softball game together on his Vespa while in Junior High. The following day I came down with measles. To this day I appreciate him being the source of my immunization. We won the game.
Sad to hear of the world losing my old friend.
Stefan Vapaa says:
July 7, 2022
Written after, and inspired by, Don’s memorial on Monday the 2nd of July.
I had not planned to get up and speak, though I was prepared to do so if it seemed like we didn’t get the participation I though we needed. I am more comfortable putting pen to paper, or in this case pushing pixels to print.
This is a story of a moment, not a long moment, barely minutes, but it may be my favorite Don moment. I certainly didn’t know at the time that I would remember it today. It is only in retrospect, listening to the stories told by his friends and family, that I recognize it.
I fondly remember when Don thoroughly, completely, showed me up.
This was 23 years ago, which is important. It was shortly after he retired, which was not at all the joyful experience it should have been for Don. Tim was still alive though, so the sky hadn’t fallen so completely as it would in a few more years.
For our 1st wedding anniversary, Don and Loretta gifted Annalisa and I a guided fishing trip. They rented the Cranberry Mountain Lodge (the entire “sleeps 16” lodge for the wee four of us) and hired a couple of local fishing guides. They bought us each a fly fishing rig, complete with wading boots and a vest. They arranged fishing licenses for us but even though Don had more hats than Harrods, we supplied our own.
I was one of those boys lucky enough to have been taught to fish by my father, grandfather, and uncles. I’d learned the usual bobber fishing of course, and then spent many quiet days by myself catching sunnies and bluegill on balls of Wonderbread. I believed myself quite good at it when a massive languid carp (probably accidentally) gulped in my hook and I dragged the weighty thing up on shore. Later I was taught spin casting, which while more interactive, I found rather less productive. The fish I caught were more varied but fewer, though I did become far more skilled at hooking logs and weeds and losing lures. I knew I wasn’t the best fisherman, but neither did I think I was unskilled.
We started fishing the Cranberry River. I am sure they figured it would be easiest to learn fly casting standing in the middle of a river, away from any potential entanglements. I managed to catch a few smallmouth, at least as many but maybe more than the others (or so my memory tells me today). I figured I was stacking up well and presented a proud face that night at dinner. “This is going well” I thought.
Day two we drove to a private property with its own natural trout stream and stocked trout pond where they allowed no more than “5 rods per day”. This sounded over the top luxurious to me. It still does. It probably was.
This was harder, but I enjoyed it more. The stream was too small to wade in and was shaded over with a heavy canopy of hardwoods. I was more comfortable now, having shed the waders and gotten out of the sun. Casting now had to be more controlled, keeping in mind the tighter confines and smaller target area. I imagined trout carrying and extra IQ point or two over the smallmouth, and so it seemed, as I can’t recall hooking a damn thing.
Annalisa and Loretta had tired of the challenge and decided to thoroughly explore the single most open pool in the stream, and the snacks and drinks cooler the guides had brought. I wasn’t giving up, so eschewed that option and went looking for Don. I’d last seen him at the pond pulling in fish after fish with apparent ease. He was gone from there now, and I wanted to stick to the more romantic natural stream anyway.
I found him a short while later. He didn’t notice me, but I watched him for a while, hoping to unlock a skill through observation. He was in a spot where he had to either sit or crouch under an overhanging branch. He was sitting. Tiny, controlled casts placed the fly above a submerged rock where it drifted into a whirl of water then escaped, floating to calmer waters. Not infrequently, a stunning rainbow would rise to the tempting fly.
I watched as he caught a couple, released them, and resettled in place. It seemed not effortless, but effortfull in a way that Don was entirely comfortable with. I had never seen him this way, practicing a skill he’d long since mastered, quietly, alone, and at peace.
Before this, and often since, I had observed Don as a watchfull father. He never intimidated me as some protective fathers might, possibly because he could see I was besotted with Annalisa and incapable of causing her harm, but also never gave me the feeling I was actually off the hook, yet. We struggled to communicate, for whatever reason. I mean, we were very different people. I lived through physical and mechanical challenges, always looking for a little more speed and noise. He, at least it seemed to me, lived through intellect and reflection, reverence and shared thoughts. We weren’t oil and water, far from it, as we shared a love of nature, believed in the power of nurture, and both held wonder for the world we observed. But out observations led to different conclusions. They were not conclusions in conflict but we saw cause and effect differently and certainly found solutions in different theaters. It was enough to make conversation awkward I guess.
So until now what I’d felt from him was a nervous energy, dulled by recent struggles, and not a lot of “flow” with life. Until now. Now, watching him surreptitiously for a few minutes, I saw him in his element. All thoughts of careers, costs, politics, or the presence of anything but himself and this place were put aside. From what I could see, the pulchritude of a rainbow trout as it slid back into the water from his hands were all of enough for him.
I see this now in my minds eye and I think this was my favorite picture of Don. He was relaxed and happy. He was sharing this thing he loved with his family, old and new, and it was good.
And while I had been fishing, he was actually CATCHING fish. I was just pleased to have kept my line out of the trees. I’d been shown up, and I loved it.
Bonnie Tomikel says:
June 29, 2022
I met Don at Nature Wonder Weekend at North Bend State Park. He was a delightful man. He and my husband, John, sometimes did the Sunday farewell service together. After John passed, Don was kind enough to send me some mementos of those weekends. We also continued to email each other.
Please except my sincere condolences.
Bonnie Tomikel
Erie, Pa
Loretta Gartman says:
July 12, 2022
Thanks Bonnie, I used to hike with John and Bruce on occasion at North Bend when I could do the long hike. But mostly I helped lead the medium distance hike while Don did the meander around the lodge for those who couldn’t hike very much. I always enjoyed John’s participation. It is great we have those memories. Thanks for your kind words about Don. We miss him so much. I hope you and your family are doing well.
Ron Preston says:
June 18, 2022
Dear Loretta and family,
I am very sorry to learn of Don’s passing. I shared OSU graduate study objectives and a similar career path with Don. We kept in contact for many years sharing memories and experiences. I always enjoyed these discussions for his creative and talented contributions. He will be missed by many.
Love, prayers, and memories.
Ron and Carol Preston
Loretta Gartman says:
June 27, 2022
Thank you Ron, Don talked of you often and I know he enjoyed knowing you and his conversations with you.
Gay Habersack says:
June 14, 2022
Don was an extrordinary person. He accomplished much during his lifetime. Don and I attended Rhodes High School in Cleveland and I thought back then what a kind peson he was. He contacted me several months ago re my knowledge of the Lake Erie islands as he was putting a memoir together. I always enjoyed hearing from him because he was so interesting. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family. I will miss him and will not forget him.
Loretta Gartman says:
June 16, 2022
Gay, not certain if I ever met you, but I do appreciate your rembrance of my dear husband. Thank you for your kind words. We will all miss him!