Ben Lee Hartz

Ben Lee Hartz, 60, of Owensboro passed away on April 2, 2018 at his home. He died comfortably in the same room to which his parents, the late Joseph Frank and Julia Maxine Hartz, brought him from the hospital following his birth on February 12, 1958. Ben graduated from Owensboro Catholic High School and the University of Kentucky College of Business. He remained a loyal Cats fan all his life and was a member of the UK Alumni Association. While at UK, Ben was a member and secretary of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Following graduation, Ben and his brother Frank started Hartz Construction Corporation, which they owned for 32 years. They spent those years constructing many of the iconic buildings of Owensboro and Daviess County, an accomplishment of which he and Frank were proud. Together they also owned ABC Rental Center. Ben was a member of St. Stephen Cathedral, where he was very involved in the planning and construction of the restored cathedral which was completed in 2012. That project was close to his heart, one that he felt was his most important, and was the last construction job on which he worked. He was very pleased to follow in the tradition of his great-grandfather and great-uncles who did the carpentry work for the construction of the original cathedral in 1923. His participation at St. Stephen included the parish council, a member of the building and grounds committee, and as a lector. He served his community as a member of the Owensboro Rotary Club, on the boards of directors of Mercy Hospital, Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, and Owensboro Mercy Health System which he served as treasurer and chair of the finance committee, the Daniel Pitino Shelter, and Old National Bank. He was a member of the state board of the Kentucky Association of Builders and Contractors.

Ben loved his family more than anything. He was married to Pamela Jane Hartz, whom he met at Owensboro Catholic High School, for over 33 happy years and was totally devoted to her. Together they have two children. Ben Hunter Hartz is a fourth-generation contractor, serving as a project manager of Hartz Contracting, and is married to Jasey Beckman Hartz. Julia Lee Hartz is a graphic designer who put her career on hold to care for her dad during his prolonged illness. Ben is also survived by his brothers Frank Hartz, III and his wife Janey, and Max Hartz and his wife Patti; 3 nephews, a niece, and 2 aunts, Theresa O'Shea and Martha Greer Johnson.

Ben loved boating, spending most of his life on Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, houseboating, skiing (one-leg), and fishing. He made friends with everyone he encountered, especially his employees at Hartz Construction Corporation and ABC Rental Center, whom he considered family. He was loved by so many close friends and colleagues who were important to him. Ben had a very fun-loving, happy personality and considered himself the luckiest person in the world.

The funeral Mass for Ben Hartz will be 2:00 p.m. Friday at St. Stephen Cathedral. Visitation will be from 3:00 until 8:00 p.m. Thursday and from 11:00 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. Friday at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory where prayers will be said at 7:30 Thursday. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to University of Kentucky Neuroscience for Primary Progressive Aphasia Research, or Hospice of Western Kentucky. Memories and messages of condolence may be shared with the family of Ben Hartz at www.glenncares.com.