Robert E. Bartz

Robert E. Bartz, 84, of St. Joseph, died of lymphoma Saturday, February 17, 2007, at his home. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 21, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 914 Lane Drive, in St. Joseph. The family will also receive visitors from 5:00 to7:00 p.m. Tuesday at the church. The family is being served by Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home. Mr. Bartz was born on February 10, 1923 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was the oldest of six children born to Ruth (Miller) and Edwin J. Bartz. The Bartz family then moved to Benton Harbor where Bob spent his boyhood years. He graduated from St. John’s Catholic High School in 1940. He attended Albion College and then transferred to Know College in Galesburg, Illinois, to join the ROTC program there. World War II interrupted his studies. He entered the Army in 1943 and served as an infantryman, primarily in Europe. He was awarded a Purple Heart. In 1946, he returned to Knox College where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He majored in business and graduated in June, 1947.