Mercedes Church Hartman

Mercedes Church Hartman, our beautiful, spirited, fun-loving mother, has died. She passed naturally and painlessly on May 25, 2020 with loving family at her side, and many dear friends and extended family sending love and support through their prayers. She leaves behind our father Armand DiFerdinando, her daughters Debbie, Liz and Diane, and son Tom. She also leaves three grandchildren, five great grandchildren, her sister-in-law Pat, two nephews and four special nieces. Also, her close cousin Carolyn, and the loving memory of many other friends and family, the majority of whom passed before her, such as her deeply missed mom, husbands Donald Hartman and Al Klapka, and her beloved Char-Lee. A special handful remain, who know who they are, and that they remain dearly loved and appreciated. Mercedes was born in Madison, Wisconsin on September 1, 1935. She moved to Baltimore with her mother Beatrice and brother Tom soon after the premature death of her father, Tom Church, when she was two years old. There, she grew up with her brother, and later half-sister Diane - daughter of Addison Hopper, Beatrice's second husband. As an adult, in addition to raising four children, Mercedes was a talented bowling enthusiast, also flirting with careers in modeling and golf. She periodically held jobs in management (Kelly Services) and real estate, and toward the end of her career worked as a successful sales rep for Avon in Fort Mill, SC. Mercedes was beautiful and intelligent, fiercely independent, had a fearless, adventurer's spirit, loved to laugh, was an ardent student of Christian Science, and retained a remarkably youthful spirit and look until far into her later years. Her energy tangibly lives on through our memories and self-reflections, our relationships with the many she touched and influenced, and the emotion stirred by both, guiding us to an even greater self-awareness, understanding and appreciation of our own places, roles and responsibilities in the world. We love you and miss you Mom! It will not be the same without you! All of our love, Debbie, Liz, Tom and Diane.