Hartford Lamont Rutan

Hartford Lamont “Root” Rutan, a Lab retiree and resident of Concord, died Sept. 18. He was 83.

Born Jan. 9, 1928 to Myrtle Pierce and Lamont Rutan, he served in the Navy from 1945 to 1947 on the USS Leyte as an aviation machinist mate third class.

Rutan was a glass blower for many years.

He served Contra Costa County as a reserve deputy sheriff from 1992 through 1997. He was a past master of Diablo Valley Masonic Lodge, a past patron of Concord Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star and a member of York Rite, Scottish Rite, Royal Arch Masons, Knights Templar, Masters and Past Masters, Allied Masonic Degrees and Cryptic Masons.

He also was a member of Aahmes Shriners in Livermore and a past commodore of the Aahmes Shrine Yacht Club.

Root was married to Jane Couse in 1946 and had four children. He is survived by his wife Arden Rose whom he married in 1961; children, Rick Rutan of Atwater, Calif.; Debra Velasco of Milford, N.Y.; Leslie Yenser and Lizabeth Rutan, both of Canton, Ohio; 10 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. at Oddfellows Hall on Cowell Avenue in Concord.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Shriners Hospital for Children in Sacramento. Send donations to Aahmes Shrine Center, 170 Lindbergh Ave., Livermore, CA 94551.