Obituary of David C. Hartwell

David C. Hartwell

Dave, also known as Neighbor Dave or The Mayor of Hopewell, passed away suddenly on December 8, 2019. He was 64.

Survived by his wife of 34 years Elleen (Lee) Hartwell, daughter Jame L. Hartwell (Matt Cole) and granddaughter Madison A. Cole, his son David C. Hartwell Jr. and grandsons Evan T. Hartwell and Benjamin T. Hartwell, his sisters Patricia Soper (Jim), Dawn Hartwell (Dick), Melissa Cummings (Harv), his brothers Terry Hartwell and Thomas Hall, stepfather Henry Gormont and Uncle Howard Nisbet, his brother-in-laws Roger  Roth and James Roth (Sandy), sister-in-law Lynne Stewart (Ralph) and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Born in Dansville NY on July 29, 1955, Dave lived in the Arkport/Hornell area for several years. Eventually he moved to Canandaigua NY.

In his younger years, he worked many jobs to include farms, The DEC and Arkport School. Through these jobs he learned to operate and repair several types of equipment. He worked at the Genesee Hospital where he met his wife Lee.He was a mechanic there until 1991. At this point he went to work for the New York State Department of Transportation. On 9/11 he volunteered and responded to New York City. He received a letter from Governor Pataki acknowledging and thanking him for his response. He retired from the state in 2017.

Dave enjoyed the outdoors. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He was a NASCAR and Vikings fan. His Harley was his pride and joy.

Dave had the gift of gab and talked to everyone. His great sense of humor could leave you wondering if he was serious or giving you a line.

The greatest joy in his life were his grandkids. He was Evan's best friend. Together they went to Troop 39 Boy Scout meetings every week. They participated in the activities and enjoyed the camp outs. They watched NASCAR races and went to at least one NASCAR race each year. Both of them had a passion for antique car and tractor shows. They always looked forward to going to the Steam Pageant and spending every day there.

Ben was his buddy. Many little children that saw Dave thought he was Santa. They would quickly tell him what they wanted for Christmas and assured him they were "very good". Ben seeing this would call him Santa Papa. Taking Ben to the movies always made Dave chuckle. They would always have to sit way down in the front row. When they went to the tractor shows, it was an all day event because Ben had to climb up on every tractor there. Ben has a very healthy appetite and not a picky eater. Papa loved to cook, so this was a great match.

Madison loved her Papa. She constantly told Papa, "I love you" and gave him plenty of hugs and kisses. Madison loves papa's dog Chance and Oreo the cat. Papa would call the cat Big Dummy. Madison thought he was saying Big Tummy, so well now the cat is known as Big Tummy.

Dave said the best dog he has ever had was Chance. Chance was Dave's shadow she loved to ride in the truck and go on walks in the woods. Chance has been looking for Dave. She stands at the bottom of the stairs looking up to see if he's coming down. She goes to the backdoor and keeps checking. In between she jumps up in Dave's recliner and faithfully waits for him.

Dave will be greatly missed by his family and many, many, friends. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions in Dave's name may be made to an organization of your choice.