Friends of the late Robert Wilson Hartley, 79, of Dover, may call on the family from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Torbert Funeral Chapel South, 1145 E. Lebanon Road, Dover, where a prayer service will be held at 7 p.m.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, at the Church of the Holy Cross, 631 S. State St., Dover.
Mr. Hartley died peacefully Friday, Jan. 23, 2010, in his Dover home, surrounded by his loving family.
Born May 30, 1930, in Philipsburg, Pa., he was the son and oldest of five children born to the late Ernest Wilson Hartley and Marjorie Perks Hartley.
Mr. Hartley earned his degree in electrical engineering from Drexel University while working at US Steel and living in Levittown, Pa. General Foods brought him to Dover with his family in 1964.
In 1969 he founded Diamond Electric and Diamond State Engineering. During his leadership with the companies he designed and participated in the construction of many significant facilities in and around Delaware, such as Kraft Foods, Scott Paper/ Proctor & Gamble, Dover Downs, Holy Cross Catholic Church, Citibank, the Cape May/Lewes Ferry terminals and the MainStay Suites.
Gov. Tom Carper appointed Mr. Hartley to the state Public Service Commission; he served as an officer in the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers, and as president of the Delaware Electrical Board for many years. He was an instructor to many in the engineering and electrical fields as well as a mentor to numerous others.
He had a great pride in Delaware and made many civic contributions, including serving as a committee person for the Democratic party.
Mr. Hartley was a lifelong athlete, enjoying enjoyed basketball, tennis and football and briefly was a prospect for professional baseball. He was an avid Caesar Rodney High School supporter and often could be found in the stands cheering on the team long after his children graduated. He and his wife enjoyed traveling around the world to many places, including Russia, China and Italy.
Mr. Hartley is survived by Mary “Dee” Hartley, his loving wife of 54 years; his devoted children, including two sons and a daughter-in-law, Robert E. Hartley and his fiancée, Brenda Carter of Woodside and Thomas J. Hartley and Marci Drees of Dover; and three daughters and their husbands, Mary D. and Thomas Stenson of Hingham, Mass., Liz and Bo Dunn of Dover and Ann and Ken Baker of Bethany.
