RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. (FORMERLY OF GREENWOOD)
Lois Jean Hartman of Rancho Mirage, California passed away peacefully on June 9, 2021 after a long, rather irreverent life filled with fierce love and raucous laughter and an innate ability to meet challenges with equal parts humor and determination.
Born in Saginaw, Michigan on March 19, 1933, she grew up in the state, later attending Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University before ultimately leaving school when she was offered a job in advertising. The job gave her the opportunity for hands-on experience in her chosen field as well as an income that provided an appealing level of independence for a young woman in that era.
Answering to Lois and Jean equally, with no stated preference, no one ever really knew what to call her. As with most things, she was content to let others sort it out for themselves. In general, she was Lois at work, Jean among friends and family, and “Jeannie!” to her mom in times of exuberance or exasperation. But her accidental aliases were the cause of confusion, comedy, and consternation throughout her life.
A fashion plate herself, Lois/Jean was naturally drawn to retail, where she spent the bulk of her career opening new locations and managing stores and teams for both high-end retailers and budget chains in Chicago, New York, and across the Midwest. Settling in the midwest (Michigan and Indiana), she rose through the ranks to become District Manager for one of the nation’s largest discount retailers, before being reassigned to store leadership because the company determined a male colleague “needed the bigger job” more than she did.
Although she enjoyed her work in high-end retail, Lois/Jean’s greatest career satisfaction came from making smart fashion accessible to people who otherwise couldn’t afford it. She loved clothes and jewelry ? she saw fashion as an integral expression of personality, something that made people feel good, and she spent most of her career making it available to everyone.
In addition to fashion, Lois/Jean loved fun. She liked dance clubs, night clubs, and Canadian Club. She was a smoker, a drinker, and a passionate gambler who moved to Phoenix, Arizona and then to Rancho Mirage, California in retirement in part for the sunshine and to be close to her daughter, but mostly for the convenient casinos, where she happily spent much of her time playing slot machines. Additionally, she was a big fan of happy endings and often just left the TV set on the Hallmark Channel.
Lois/Jean was also a fan of food; she loved a great steak and eating was one of her greatest pleasures in life. She would set herself missions like finding the restaurant with the best liver and onions in town, which meant trying them all. Her prodigious appetite was famous among friends and family who never understood how such a tiny woman could out-eat them with ease, especially without gaining a single ounce. It remains a mystery.
She is survived by her daughter, Hope Hartman; extended family including nieces Debra McGuire and Delores Burmeister and grandniece Jennifer Walsh, as well as the friends she made family. There will be a fittingly joyous celebration of her life next summer ? details to be determined ? with friends and family gathered on a lake in Michigan to drink Canadian Club in her honor and share their favorite stories about Lois. Or Jean.
