Paul D. Hartmann

Paul Dean Hartmann, 71, of Tucson, Arizona, passed away peacefully with his wife and daughter by his side on January 11, 2025.  

Paul is survived by his wife, Terry; daughter, Lauren (Sage) Vasse; siblings Glenn (Wayne); Nancy (Miriam Somero); Brian (Kelly); a loving extended family; and longtime friends.

Paul was born on December 6, 1953, to Allen (d. 1958) and Shirley Bayles Retzlaff (d. 2020) of Lockport, N.Y.   Paul and his older brother Glenn were inseparable buddies. The family soon moved to Watervliet, Michigan, where Paul enjoyed listening to ham radio with Allen and exploring the neighborhood by tricycle. 

When Paul was four, Allen died suddenly from a heart condition. That loss would stay with Paul for a lifetime, alongside the memory of his mother's strength and resilience. Two years later, Shirley married John Hartmann, who adopted the boys to raise them as his own. The family moved back to Lockport,  and soon grew to include Nancy and Brian. As a big brother, Paul recalled the thrill of welcoming them both, as well as his role as babysitter and part-time referee. From church activities, to holiday celebrations and family vacations, childhood in the Hartmann family was filled with activity and love. Paul's interests included amateur radio, model rockets, space exploration, science fiction, Boy Scouts, and outdoor activities with family. In his teens, he also developed a keen interest in politics and civil rights. 

In 1978, Paul was working at Adler Planetarium in Chicago and offered a ride home to a college intern working there. Terry Nash accepted, and the rest is history. They married in 1979 and later moved to Tucson. There, Paul earned a B.S. in Astronomy and Physics, and made a career as an observatory technician on Kitt Peak. In 1995, Lauren was born, and Paul became a loving and devoted father. 

Just before Lauren started kindergarten, Paul developed a serious heart condition -echoing what had happened to Allen decades before. Paul's deepest wish became seeing Lauren finish kindergarten. Thankfully, he lived to attend her college graduation, walk her down the aisle at her wedding, and learn that she and Sage are expecting a child of their own. 

Paul's compassion, humor, and love of life will be deeply missed. Going forward, we may each look for ways to honor Paul’s memory. One friend has decided to donate to the American Heart Association, someone else may focus on polishing up their dad jokes, and hopefully, all of us will remember to look at the night sky with curiosity and wonder, and smile.