John M. Hartwell

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Hartwell John M. Hartwell, age 75 of Wayzata, died December 13th of cancer. Born in Minneapolis, he graduated from Blake School in 1947, Yale in 1951 and Harvard Business School in 1953. After serving in the Navy he joined General Mills, working there until buying Land-O-Nod Company in 1969. After retiring in the mid 1980's, he found great joy in helping many community organizations including the Minnesota International Center, Bolder Options, Belwin and Project for Pride in Living, which held a very special place in his heart. He also served as Head Deacon of the Colonial Church of Edina. John loved sports and games. He was a fierce competitor in everything he played and giving less than his absolute best was not something he would accept from himself. However, he was always a gracious loser. John loved people and made them feel special. He was known as the person who had 10,000 friends, any of whom he could ask 1,000 questions. He took great joy in renaming all family and many friends in endearing ways that can only bring smiles to those of us that knew him. He had an extremely special relationship with his wife, best friend and soul mate of 45 years, Lucy. After retiring, they spent wonderful times together traveling the world and in 1998, after learning Spanish, they spent an exceptional 3-1/2 months in Chile exploring on their own. Words cannot describe the depth of their love. He is survived by his children, David (Elizabeth De Baut), Jill Geoffrion (Tim), Lucy Heegaard (Jeff) and Charlie (Robin), 11 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren and brother, Art Hartwell. He was preceded in death by his sister, Janet Eyre and parents Janet and Arthur Hartwell. A celebration of his life will be held on Friday, December 17th, at 1:30 at the Colonial Church of Edina. For those of us that survive him, we thank all his special friends for the outpouring of love and concern throughout his life and especially during his challenging times in the last four years. His strength during this time has been inspirational for us and your support has been meaningful beyond description. Instead of flowers the family requests memorials be sent to Belwin, 1660 Highway 100 South, # 426, Minneapolis, MN 55416, Project for Pride in Living, 1035 East Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 or Bolder Options, 2100 Stephens Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55404.

Published on December 15, 2004