Alice Hartman

Alice Hartman left this earthly life to be with her Lord on October 29, 2024. Alice was born on January 1,

1945, in Fargo, North Dakota. She was raised by her mother and father, Wallace Dusterhoft and

Josephine Rondeau Dusterhoft in Grafton, North Dakota, who adopted her as an infant. She grew up in

Grafton, with a brother Roland who was 12 years older.

She graduated from Grafton High School and attended the University of North Dakota before starting

her lifelong vocation as a secretary, starting in the legal field but spent more in the service of her church.

Her daughter Audrey was born in 1966 to Alice and her first husband, James Haug.

When she married her husband of 48 years, Gene Hartman, on August 28, 1976, she also became a

stepmother to his three children, Sonya, Sheila, and Daniel. Gene and Alice built a beautiful life together

in Poway, California, where they lived for about 30 years. They were highly active members of

Penasquitos Lutheran Church in North San Diego County and witnessed its rise from a small number of

families meeting in a school auditorium to a large and impactful congregation in mission for Christ. Alice

served in many roles at PLC including choir director for 16 years and church secretary until her

retirement.

As active as Alice was in her Christian life, she was also a homebody at heart. She was talented in every

manner of needlecraft and found several outlets for her creativity including crafting needlepoint

Christmas stockings for each of her children and grandchildren. She loved to garden and skillfully

canned, pickled, and preserved the bounty from her garden. Her yard was always a profusion of colorful

flowers. She was a voracious reader and especially enjoyed mystery novels. A lifelong lover of words,

she was a master at crossword puzzles. She also loved to travel. Precious family memories were made

during weeks-long road trips to national parks, where our family of six was often joined by extended

family in raucous caravanning across the United States. She and Gene also traveled to Australia,

Germany, the UK, and several US locations after the kids were grown.

In retirement, Alice and Gene fulfilled a lifelong dream when they bought and renovated a cabin on Lake

Minnewaska in Minnesota. The lake cabin became a hub of summer family gatherings. She and Gene

settled in Carmichael, California when Alice began her battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She believed

deeply in the promise of Jesus when He told His friends “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever

believes in me, though they die, yet shall they live.” John 11:25. She ran her race well to the end and

will be remembered for her quick smile, her abiding faith in Jesus, the mutual love and care that she and

Gene shared and exemplified for their children and grandchildren, and the way she loved her family and

friends.

Alice was preceded in death by her daughter, Sheila, her son, Daniel, her parents, Wallace and Josephine

and her brother, Roland. She is survived by her husband Gene, her daughters Audrey (Arne) Bracchi and

Sonya (Roger) Herr, eight grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. The family would like to thank

the staff at Almond Heights Senior Care and Bristol Hospice for their loving and attentive care for Alice

during the last few years. A celebration of Alice’s life will take place on November 23, 2024, at 1:00 PM

at Good Shepherd Church in Sacramento.