South Jersey Baseball Legend Joe Hartmann Passes At Age 90
HADDONFIELD, NJ — The man whose name has become synonymous with South Jersey baseball passed away over the weekend.
Joe Hartmann, the founder of the South Jersey Baseball Coaches Association and the Diamond Classic, died on Saturday at the age of 90, according to his online obituary.
Hartmann, a Haddonfield Memorial High School alum, proudly served in the US Coast Guard during the Korean War in the North Sea and then graduated from Rutgers University, in 1958.
He was a Social Worker and began his teaching career in the Cherry Hill Public School District. In 1969, he was hired to work at Eastern Regional High School, where his career as a baseball coach began.
“Joe was a well-known figure in the world of baseball here in South Jersey, with a career spanning more than four decades,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “Not only was he the founder of the South Jersey Baseball Coaches Association, he was also one of the lead organizers of the Diamond Classic Tournament, the Camden County High School All-Star Baseball Game and the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association All-Star game. Additionally, Hartmann coached at Eastern Regional High School from 1969 to 1986 and served as the school’s athletic director from 1970 to 1989.”
He was also the mayor of Gibbsboro beginning in 1989, according to his obituary.
“Hartmann was the true embodiment of what a coach should be,” Cappelli said. “He was hands- on, caring, constructive and never put winning or losing above celebrating true sportsmanship. Hartmann’s love for baseball and his community radiated through all the contributions he made throughout his 90 years of life. We will miss Joe dearly, but his legacy will live on in the generations of athletes and coaches to come.”
The Diamond Classic, which will be played for the 48th time this spring, crowns the unofficial champion of South Jersey by incorporating the best teams from each athletic conference’s division and the best at-large team in a 16-team single-elimination tournament that commences before the NJSIAA’s official playoffs begin.
Hartmann’s legacy will be honored throughout the upcoming high school baseball season, Bishop Eustace coach Sam Tropiano told the Courier Post.
Hartmann was the beloved husband of Margaret "Peggy" (Nee Heald); loving father of Joey Hartmann of Gibbsboro, Eddy Hartmann (Teresa) and Kimmy Hartmann Lindemuth (Eric), both of Lititz, PA; cherished grandfather of Zach and Emily Hartmann and Lia and Eva Lindemuth; amazing great grandfather of Madison and Lincoln Hartmann; dear brother of Eric O. Hartmann (Sandy); treasured uncle of Jeffrey (Marisa), Linda (Rich), Jill, Beth (Roger) and great uncle of several great nieces and nephews.
Hartmann's family will have a private church service due to precautions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and Coach's desire to protect everyone. All are invited to his Graveside Service on Saturday, Jan.22, 2022 at noon at Cedar Grove Cemetary, 43 Clementon Road West, Gibbsboro, NJ 08026.
Additionally, the Hartmann family would like to invite everyone to join them on July 2, 2022, 11 a.m., to celebrate Coach Hartmann's life with a day of baseball, food and fun at the Joe Hartmann Baseball Field in Gibbsboro. In lieu of flowers, memorial contribution in honor of Coach Hartmann may be made to the Walter Reed Society (www.walterreedsociety.org).
This article originally appeared on the Haddonfield-Haddon Township Patch
