Jerry Hartin

Jerry W. Hartin, 79, of Lansing passed away Thursday, September 28, 2017 at home in the arms of his family. A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.

Jerry was born February 22, 1938 in Des Moines. He was the son of William and Jean (Olinger) Hartin. He graduated from Maxwell High School in 1957. He then entered the U.S. Navy, where he went to the Great Lakes Naval Station to train as a journalist. He was assigned to work on the SubPac paper in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor and Coronado until his honorable discharge in 1961.

Following his discharge, he worked on the newspapers in Newton, Fort Dodge and Davenport. He left journalism to attend Truman State University at Kirksville, MO, where he received his BA in Secondary English Education, and in later years he sought his Masters at the University of Northern Iowa.

April 22, 1962 he was united in marriage to Rosemary Cory at the Collins Christian Church at Collins. Jerry held many jobs, but his passion was teaching and coaching. He taught English and coached at Sibley, Maynard, Waterloo, McGregor and retired from Kee High School in Lansing after 15 years of service. He was the head coach when the Kee Hawk football team earned its first win in school history and took the 1986 girls basketball team to the section finals.

He is survived by his wife, Rosemary, of Lansing; one son, Randy (Angie) Hartin of Eldridge; two daughters, Kelly (Brad) Coleman of North Branch and Terri (Tony) Meyers of La Crosse, WI; a brother, Hugh Hartin of Clinton; a half-brother, Bryce Dykstra of Mississippi; and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his step-father, Frank Dykstra.

The Thornburg-Grau Funeral and Cremation Service of Lansing is assisting the family.