Obituary: John Bartek

The service for John Bartek will be today at Central at 11:30 am.  His obituary and picture are below.  He was a  real American hero whom we were blessed to have at our church for so many years.   Pastor Gay   ---   JOHN FRANCIS BARTEK                                                                                 John Francis Bartek, 94, of Hamilton, entered into God’s loving care at home on September 9, 2013, surrounded by his loving family.   Born in Bayonne, NJ, John was a longtime Mercerville resident.  He attended Colts Neck and Freehold schools and entered the Army Air Corps at age 18.  At age 23, during WWII, in October 1942, the B-17 aircraft carrying John, Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker and six others crashed into the Pacific while on a secret mission.  They were lost at sea for 21 days on three rafts.  John wrote about their experiences at sea in “My Raft Episode, 21 Days Adrift at Sea.”    After being rescued, John left the service and sold war bonds and gave speeches all over the country about his experience.  He attended photography school on Long Island and ultimately became a photographer for the New Jersey State Police, from which he retired in 1985.    John loved to dance to big band music and take family pictures, including photos of his flower gardens.  He attended Central Baptist Church and the Reach Out and Touch Someone for seniors.   John was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend.   We wish to thank Comfort Keepers and the Visiting Nurse Association for sending outstanding aides, nurses and therapists.   Predeceased by his parents, Charles and Mary (Polachak) Bartek; his first wife, Mildred (Sentman) Bartek; and his sisters, Sophie Iverson, Ester Cooper and Ruth Bartek; he is survived by his loving wife of 21 years, Marie M. (Matthews) Stewart-Bartek; his loving daughter and son-in-law, Cathy and David Weed of Wrightstown, NJ; his step-children, Gordon and Mary Miller, Marie Mennel, Frank and Diane Stewart and William Stewart; his grandchildren, Jenna, David and Jonathan Weed; his 9 step-grandchildren; his 13 step-great-grandchildren; his brothers, Paul and George Bartek of Freehold, NJ; his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Emma Newton, Charlotte Williams, Margaret and Neil Douglas, Eve Vitale, and George and Barbara Matthews; and his numerous nieces and nephews.   Funeral services will begin on Thursday, September 12, 2013, at 11:30 a.m., at the Central Baptist Church, 2015 Pennington Rd., Trenton, NJ 08618.   Entombment will follow at Greenwood Cemetery Mausoleum in Hamilton.   Family and friends may call on Thursday, September 12, 2013, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Central Baptist Church.                          In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in John’s memory to VNA of Mercer County, 171 Jersey St., Suite 201, PO Box 441, Trenton, NJ 08603 or Central Baptist Church, 2015 Pennington Rd., Trenton, NJ 08618 or American Cancer Society, PO Box 7, East Syracuse, NY 13057.   Arrangements are under the direction of Saul Colonial Home, 3795 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ.    www.saulfuneralhomes.com