Michael (Mike) Stephen Hartman was born in Milwaukee, WI, on March 15, 1950, and passed away on July 21, 2026, after a final round of golf with lifelong friends at the age of 76. He leaves behind his loving wife of 50 years, Karen; daughter, Sara (Greg); granddaughters, Maggie and Louise; son, Greg (Rose); and granddog, Ozzy. He is also survived by many family members and dear friends, both near and far. He is preceded in death by his mother, Barbara; father, Dewey; and sisters, Kathy and Carol.

Mike grew up in Milwaukee and loved sports from an early age, telling stories of using his paper route money to take himself to Milwaukee Braves games while he was still in grade school. He played football and graduated from Custer High School. Mike put himself through college, graduating from UW-LaCrosse, where he met Karen and they married in 1975. After college, Mike worked in construction and had a lengthy career with WE Energies, where he met some great people that he remained close with for many years after his retirement.

While Mike enjoyed his work, his kids (and later grandkids), were always a top priority. He happily drove through the night to make sure the kids had a full week in Florida for spring break or an adventure-filled road trip. Weekends were spent attending hockey games, swim meets, and even band concerts. More recently, he attended as many of the grandkids’ soccer games, volleyball matches, and theater performances as he could in Alabama.

Mike and Karen had so many adventures together that it is hard to summarize in just a few sentences. Mike was always up for some fun and their travels took them to beautiful places near and far. From Door County to National Parks across the west, and a particularly memorable trip to Ireland and Scotland. Wherever they went, Mike was the driver and Karen reveled in her role as photographer and memory maker. Just a few short months ago, the pair completed a quest to visit all 50 states, a bucket list item for Mike and Karen both.

Mike lived life to the fullest and his final weeks were no exception. The last month included a visit from his granddaughter to Wisconsin, a fishing trip to Lake Erie with his son and long time friend, a trip to Alabama to see his daughter’s family, and another fishing trip to Monona with his fishing buddy for a successful meat run. His summer adventures were topped off playing a round of golf with his high school friends on the day he died.

Describing the adventures Mike has been on does not adequately summarize his time on this earth. The biggest impact he made was on the people who knew him. Mike was the BEST husband, dad, grandpa, son, brother, uncle, and friend. He took such good care of the people he loved and that are his legacy. He had a way of being there for everyone in the unique way that they needed. In fact, if you knew Mike, he likely went out of his way to help you at some point because that is who he was.

A celebration of life will be planned at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers please consider donations to a charity Mike recently supported, Project One Vet at a Time or a charity of your choice.