Richard Buthfer Hartt

Richard Buthfer Hartt, age 89

Richard Buthfer Hartt, age 89, died peacefully on Thursday May 28, 2009 after a dignified battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in St. Augustine, Florida. Among his homes was Troy New York. Born in Allendale, New Jersey on August 25, 1919, Richard was the son of Harry Hartt and Marie Buthfer. He was the loving husband of Carmela Mele Hartt of Troy, who died in 1984 after 38 years of marriage, and June A. Albrecht Hartt, with whom he celebrated the 21st anniversary of their wedding on May 1, 2009. He is also survived by his daughter Christine Hartt, son-in-law Bob Dvorak and granddaughters Katharine and Alexis Henschen and their father Bruce Henschen all from Fort Wayne, Indiana; his son Richard M Hartt, daughter-in-law Julia MacDonald and grandsons Michael and Gregory of Troy, New York; his sister Harriett Hartt of Santa Barbara, California. He graduated from Flushing High School where he was an honors student and a varsity track star. After attending college at NYU, his career began with the SS Kresge Company in 1940. He entered the US Marine Corps in 1942 and was in combat in the Pacific Theater and fought at Tarawa Beach. In 1944, he met his future wife Carmela Mele, also a Marine, both holding the position of Staff Sergeant. After military service, he went on to a distinguished career in retail management with the SS Kresge Company introducing the sale of motorized lawn equipment, managing one of the first 'self-service' stores in 1955, and opening and managing one of the first K-MART stores in the United States in 1962. He rose to the position of General Merchandise Manager for K-MART Corporation, Manager of the Fort Wayne Distribution Center and responsible for establishing the national distribution network. His retail success was surpassed by his enjoyment of gardening, his cocker spaniels Soccie and Taffy, tinkering and managing home projects, knowing and greeting people by name, volunteering at church, traveling across the country and world, and most importantly the love of his family. After the death of his beloved wife Carmela, five years later he married June A. Albrecht, whom he loved dearly for 21 years. Her daily devotion during the last 7 months was responsible for continuing his life at the highest quality possible. Their faith was an integral part of their marriage as parishioners of the Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in St. Augustine. He took great pride in his children and grandchildren and their accomplishments: Alexis' musicianship and academic success, Katharine's artistic talents, wit and humor, Greg's scientific research and African adventures, and Michael's love of cars and prowess in international public relations.

There will be a Memorial Service Mass at the Rensselaer Newman Foundation Christ Sun of Justice Parish at 2125 Burdett Avenue in Troy, New York on Saturday August 15 at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the St. Jude Childrens' Research Hospital at "www.stjude.org/donate", the Rensselaer Newman Foundation Chapel and Cultural Center at www.chapelandculturalcenter.org and Corpus Christi Catholic Church at 6175 Datil Pepper Road, St. Augustine, FL, 32086.The family also thanks the Moultrie Creek Nursing and Rehab Center of St. Augustine for the care that they provided.

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