Joan Florine (Felderhoff) Hartman

Mass of Christian Burial for Joan Florine (Felderhoff) Hartman, age 90, of Muenster was held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Rosary and Vigil was held at 6:15 PM on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Pallbearers were Nolan Hartman, Travis Sutton, Ronnie Felderhoff, Doug Hartman, Carl Cooney, Lance Hillis and Danny Walterscheid. Honorary pallbearers were Mark and David Tompkins. Mrs. Hartman passed away on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The family of Joan Hartman would first like to extend their deepest gratitude to all the relatives, friends and attendees who came to honor and celebrate her life, a woman that we have all come to love and cherish. Over the years, Joanie has touched all of our lives in one way or another: as a friend, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and so much more. Joanie was born on May 23, 1932 to Tony and Theresia (Dangelmayr) Felderhoff, the second of five children. Joanie attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and graduated in 1950. She met Alvin Hartman, the love of her life, on her high school senior trip to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Alvin had recently graduated high school and volunteered to drive the bus. Joanie said Alvin caught her eye right away. Joanie and Alvin were married two years later on June 5th, 1952, at the old Sacred Heart Parish Hall in Muenster by Joanie’s uncle, Father Henry Felderhoff. The morning after their wedding, they woke up early to attend 6am Mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Gainesville before heading south to Galveston for their honeymoon. Their honeymoon cost around a total of $50 and included their first ride on an escalator in Nordstroms. They were blessed with three children: Monica married to Coach Jon LeBrasseur, Bobby married to the former Sharlene Pagel and Kenny married to the former Rhonda Endres. They also have seven grandchildren including Chris, Holly, Courtney, Shannon, Dainah, Nolan and Kristin along with ten great-grandchildren. Joanie and Alvin were married and lived in their house on North Oak Street for over seventy years. On their seventieth wedding anniversary, Joanie said that togetherness and prayer were the foundation of their long-lasting marriage. She told us that, “You have to forgive and forget and give and take.” She said that in their seventy years of marriage, her and Alvin never had a fight. Aside from the excitement of their first pregnancy after six years of marriage, Joanie said that their best memory was the day-to-day life her and Alvin shared from doing chores together to raising their children, attending Mass and everything else in between. Every morning, it was a guarantee to find them at the Kountry Korner, Alvin with a slice of ‘pissa’ and Joanie sipping on a ‘capatina’. Breakfast was followed by a trip to the farm to check the sheep and Joanie always went along for the ride. Joanie comes from a long line of religious. Between her aunts and uncles, she had a bishop, four nuns and a priest in her family. So, the Catholic faith was a number one priority for her. That was just the air she breathed and she lived it, day in and day out. It was so important to her that her children and grandchildren receive a good Catholic education. She also served as a eucharistic minister at Sacred Heart Church for many years. Joanie never missed a Sunday Mass and had a special devotion to the Blessed Mother. Every Sunday after Mass, Alvin and Joanie would put all work aside to enjoy the Lord’s Day with their children. Alvin would take the kids golfing in Nocona or fishing at the long walk fishing hole. Then, they would head home for Joanie’s special fried chicken. Often, Joanie would pack up the fried chicken and meet the family at Nocona Park for a picnic lunch. Their kids remember that every family meal began with a prayer and ended with Alvin saying, “That was the BEST meal I ever ate!” Along with being avid Tiger fans and generous supporters of Sacred Heart School, Joanie worked many years as a secretary for Sister Georgia Felderhoff and assisted in the cafeteria. Rarely did Joanie miss a Tiger game over the years, no matter the sport, football, basketball, baseball… you could count on seeing her there with a bag of popcorn trying to share with whoever was sitting by her. And, Joanie never missed one of her kids, grandkids or great-grandkids sporting events, birthday parties, graduations or other special celebrations. Joanie also volunteered many years at Muenster Memorial Hospital aside from her other local jobs. Joanie truly embraced her motherly role extending so much love, care and guidance to her children and grandchildren over the years. She was the hostess of all hosts, always providing big meals, a welcoming home and entertainment for whoever walked through their door. Family tradition was especially important to Joanie. During the holidays, Joanie’s festive decorations filled both the inside and outside of their home for her family and the community to enjoy. She made every holiday special, preparing an extravagant feast and celebration for her family. For Easter, hand carved, wooden Easter bunnies are on display in their front lawn representing Alvin, Joanie and each of their grandchildren. The grandchildren always looked forward to Joanie’s delicious homemade lamb-shaped cake and hopes of finding the golden egg during their backyard Easter egg hunt. When Halloween rolled around, trick-or-treaters could count on stopping by for Joanie’s famous witches brew and homemade popcorn balls. At Thanksgiving, the famous Turkey hay bale makes its fall appearance in the yard and is later transformed into a giant birthday cake for Jesus during Christmastime. During Christmas, their children and grandchildren couldn’t wait for St. Nick at the Felderhoff’s, where they sang Christmas carols and received a special visit from St. Nicholas, who gave them a bag of fruit and candy after reciting their Christmas wishes. Joanie also handmade Christmas stockings and tree skirts for each of her children and grandchildren. Every Christmas Eve celebration began with the singing of Silent Night while one of the grandkids laid Baby Jesus in the manger. Not many kids look forward to Mondays, but that was the Hartman grandkids’ favorite day of the week. Every Monday after school was ‘Grandma Joanie Day’ and she would treat her grandkids to homemade cinnamon rolls and special grandma sandwiches before they did their homework and played. Joanie and Alvin were avid travelers over the years, visiting all 50 states and a host of other countries while making fond memories and friends everywhere they went. No matter where they went, Joanie always lead a rosary upon their departure for blessed and safe travels. And as we all know, Alvin has never met a stranger and Joanie would always wait patiently for Alvin to finish his stories with whoever he stumbled upon. Joanie once told us that the highlight of her travels was having brunch at the Germany home where her grandfather lived before he came to America. Aside from big trips with the whole family including a cruise to the Bahamas and Disneyworld, they also took their grandchildren to Holiday in the Park at Six Flags every Christmas, where they could sled down the artificial snow hill and enjoy a White Christmas in Texas. Joanie’s children always counted on her for good advice, good food and a good upbringing, centered around their Catholic faith. As many recall, anytime you saw Joanie, she had a smile on her face and open arms to all. She would do anything for you. Towards the end of her life, she would continually tell Alvin and the kids, “You’re so good to me”. But really, it was nothing compared to the many years of goodness she gave to us. On the afternoon before Joanie passed, she was lying in bed in a deep rest while Monica and I were sitting by her side. She suddenly opened her eyes and said, “Here they come” and then went back to sleep. As Joanie passed on the anniversary of her father Tony’s death, we believe that she was letting us know that her Daddy was coming to get her, along with her Mother Theresia and two brothers Joe and AJ. Rest in Peace Grandma Joanie. We will remember and love you forever. We hope all the angels up there enjoy your homemade cinnamon rolls as much as we did. Joanie is survived by her husband: Alvin Hartman; daughter: Monica and husband Jon LeBrasseur; sons: Bobby and wife Sharlene Hartman, and Kenny and wife Rhonda Hartman all of Muenster; grandchildren: Kristin LeBrasseur, Shannon Hartman, Dainah Hartman, Chris Pagel, Holly and husband Lance Hillis, Courtney and husband Travis Sutton, and Nolan Hartman; great grandchildren: Parker, Ava, Asher, and Aiden Hillis, Walker, Witten, and Blakely Sutton, Indigo and Willow Dyer, and Cody Moster; sister: Theresa Mae and husband Sylvan Walterscheid of Muenster; and brother: Charles and wife Bunny Felderhoff of West. She was preceded in death by her parents: Tony and Theresia Felderhoff; brothers: A.J. and wife Girlie Felderhoff, Joe and wife Ruth Felderhoff; and sister-in-law: Mary Felderhoff. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Sacred Heart Trust Fund.

Joan Florine (Felderhoff) Hartman

May 23, 1932 - March 8, 2023