Obituary of Barton H. Hessler

Barton Hamilton Hessler, 92, passed away peacefully with his beloved family by his side on March 9, 2026.

He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by his beloved wife of 68 years, Jacqueline Hessler; his three children, Kurt, Keith, and Kim; and their spouses, PeggySue, Paula, and Michael. He was blessed with a long life that included seven grandchildren Jeffrey, Cameron, Tyler, Brendon, Jaclyn, Macenzie, Griffin and two great-grandchildren Penelope and Sawyer.

Bart was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 4, 1934, and attended Central High School in Philadelphia, He earned a full scholarship to Drexel University where he graduated with a B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering.  Bart and Jacqueline met in Flourtown, PA and married in November 1957. Shortly thereafter, they began their family and moved to Connecticut. He was a devoted family man who cherished spending time with those he loved. One of Bart’s favorite places for family time was at the beach in Ocean City, NJ.  In later years he and Jacqueline enjoyed time at the lake in New Hampshire.

Bart worked at Textron Lycoming for more than 35 years, where he was respected for his technical expertise and commitment to excellence. His love of fixing things led to his hobby of restoring antique cars, reflecting both his curiosity and his appreciation for craftsmanship. He and the family spent many weekends taking drives in the Ford Model A’s he restored.  He also enjoyed collecting antique clocks. Bart remained curious throughout his life and loved learning new things; he was an avid reader and also enjoyed curating vegetable gardens.

Bart’s community and faith was important to him. He participated in community service through Civitan International and was a member of the American Society for Metals.  He was a longtime and devoted member of St. Paul’s Church in Huntington, Connecticut, and St. James Episcopal Church in Glastonbury, Connecticut.

A funeral service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church in Glastonbury, Connecticut, on, Friday, March 20, 2026, at 1:00 pm.  Burial will be in the Swedish Cemetery, Portland. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to St. Jude (www.stjude.org). For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com.