Mavis A.I. Hartman

Mavis McKee Hartman , 88 years of age, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on October 3, 2015. She was born in the town of Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland on May 2, 1927 to her father, Samuel McKee, and mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Gray McKee. In the early 1940s, Mavis and her younger sister, Elizabeth “Iris,” attended Masonic Boarding School for Girls in Dublin. Her older siblings, Samuel Jr., Zena and Hazel, remained in Newry to help run the family hardware store. In 1943, her widowed mother Betty McKee, met an American Air Force Sargent, Lloyd Hershey, who was stationed in England where Betty ran the British Soldiers Recreational Facility. They were married in 1945 and decided to move the family to the United States. Lloyd took his war bride, Betty, and his step children, Sam Jr., Mavis, Iris and Zena, and boarded the ocean liner, U.S.S. Henry Gibbons, to cross the Atlantic Ocean to America. When they reached the East Coast, they traveled across country by train and settled in Olympia, Washington. Eventually, Zena, her older sister, moved back home to marry Harry Paul of Newtownards, Northern Ireland. Her eldest sister, Hazel, remained in Northern Ireland to marry Harry Blair. Unfortunately, within the year, Hazel passed away from meningitis. Three months after arriving in America, Mavis met Kenneth “Curly” Hartman, an American soldier, at the Evergreen Ballroom in Olympia. A month later, they were married and settled down in Morten, Washington, where Curly worked for the Dordy and Zine Logging Company. Mavis would go to work with him and help set chockers while he yarded logs with a bull dozer. On their off hours, they enjoyed trout fishing. Eventually, they moved to Tacoma, Washington, where Curly drove a bull dozer, clearing wood pulp for a local saw mill. During the daytime, Mavis spent many hours walking around Tacoma and visiting the local library on Tacoma Avenue. Ken worked the night shift, so she would sit next to him while he drove the bull dozer. Eventually they permanently moved to Olympia, Washington, where Ken worked for the Bob Baker and Franze Slotman Construction Companies. In 1949, their daughter, Susan, was born at St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. Stewart and Wayne, her brothers, were born in 1951 and 1952 also at St. Pete’s. As a member of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, Ken’s mother, Eda Parsons Hartman, had worked as secretary for the tribe. After her passing, Ken’s sister, Eleanor (El) Hartman Kover, took over that job and Mavis worked with El as a volunteer to help establish the first federal Indian Health Care Program on the reservation. Mavis and her mother, Betty, her sister, Iris, and brother, Sam “Uel,” belonged to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Olympia. For over 66 years, Mavis remained a member until her passing in 2015. She sang in the church choir and chaired several volunteer committees, one of which was the annual church Antique Show. In 1952, Ken took a job as a truck driver with Bingers Oil Company, hauling gasoline and diesel fuel to Seattle and Shelton. Mavis stayed home to raise their growing family. Eventually they bought their first home on North Pear Street in Olympia where Mavis became active in the local PTA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. In 1957, Ken quit his job with Bingers, and went to work for the Olympia Brewing Company in Tumwater, a suburb of Olympia, where they bought their final home on West W Street. In 1969, Mavis finally got her driver’s license, and opened Hartman’s International Gifts in downtown Olympia. Ken retired from the brewery in 1976 and began running his own trout hatchery, raising rainbow trout for local markets. During those years, they traveled to Canada, Hawaii, Mexico City, England and Northern Ireland. When Ken passed away in 1982, Mavis continued to run the gift store, which she eventually closed in 1998. She remained active in the church, and was founding secretary for the local chapter of Daughters of the British Empire (DBE), a national fundraising group for the needy. Mavis was a Christian soldier and defeat was never an option. She will always be remembered by family and friends for her generosity, charm and loving nature. She remained a true Irishman until the day she died. She is survived by her daughter, Susan; son, Stewart and Wayne; several nieces and nephews; her adopted daughter, Tiffani Larson; and adopted grandchildren, Sierra and Phoenix Larson. Rest in peace Mom, and thank you for being such a wonderful mother and friend to all. Please leave memories of Mavis or condolences for her family in the Guestbook below.