George Hartwick, Jr.

George P. Hartwick, Jr. (Pap, Big Geo) 73, of Oberlin and formerly of Steelton, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 17, 2022 in his home surrounded by his loving family.

George graduated from Central Dauphin East High School in 1966 and shortly after joined the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal with four bronze stars when concluding his active duty. He was a lifetime member of the Penn Harris Gun Club, VFW, American Legion, St. Lawrence Club and Prince of Peace Roman Catholic Parish.

George was an industrious man. He instilled this value of hard-work in his sons at a very young age. He demonstrated his grit and hard-work through his extraneous career at Bethlehem Steel Mill.

George was a true family man. His joys came from spending time with the love of his life, his wife of 52 years, Jeannette Hartwick, and his sons who brought his seven wonderful grandchildren into the world. His oldest son, George P. Hartwick III (Shelby), blessed him with five of his seven grandchildren: Alexis, Lauren (Ricardo), Jordan, George IV and Kamdyn. His youngest son, Andrew Hartwick (Lyndsay), blessed him with two of his seven grandchildren: Rylee and Andrew, Jr. George is also survived by his sister, Mary Hobbs (Phil), sister-in-law, Barbara Hocker (Jerry), several nieces and nephews, and last but surely not least, his forever friend and "brother", Richard Jones (Trudy).

George had many hobbies. Some of his favorite things to do included: hunting, golfing, playing cards, and spending every moment he could with his close friends and family. If you knew George you knew his favorite thing of all was to make people laugh and once he was started there was no way to stop him. The endless years of laughter George brought into the lives of his family and his friends was his daily good deed and was truly what he lived for. He knew if he could make people laugh he was doing something right. He extended our lives with the plethora of jokes and stories that gave us the kind of laugh that would make your stomach hurt. His legacy of joke-telling and the endless stories of George P. Hartwick, Jr. will live on forever.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 10:30 am in Prince of Peace-Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church, 815 S. Second St., Steelton with Rev. Jonathan P. Sawicki as Celebrant. Burial will be in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery with full military honors. Viewings will be held on Monday, January 24 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm and on Tuesday, January 25 from 9:00 am until 10:00 am in Wiedeman Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 357 S. Harrisburg St., Oberlin.

All memorial contributions in remembrance of George can be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306. Tunnel to Towers Foundation builds mortgage-free smart homes for our most catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. Donations can be made online or by mail.