Joseph Cartwright, IV

It is with great sadness the family of Joseph Lafayette Cartwright IV announce his passing on April 12, 2011 from complications following heart surgery. He was 80. Joseph lived most of his life in Kansas City, Missouri, a city he loved. He attended Park College, excelling in art, and went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Art 1953 and Master of Fine Art in 1954 with an emphasis in painting at the Kansas City Art Institute. Joseph was the recipient of the Barnett Award, graduating with highest scholastic standing. While attending the Kansas City Art Institute, Joseph met his lifelong companion, Anna Belle Campbell and they married on December 5, 1953. Joseph served in the U.S. Army as a Cartographic Compiler, stationed in Schwetzingen and Heidelburg in post- war Germany, 1954 – 1956. He enjoyed a successful career in historical administration as Assistant Director of the Arts and Crafts Center and Curator at the Fort Leavenworth Military Museum, Director of the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa, and Director of The Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville, Florida. He was listed in Who’s Who in America as a prominent museum administrator. Upon returning to Kansas City, Joseph was an historic interpreter at Jackson County’s Fort Osage and Missouri Town until his retirement. Among Joseph’s chief passions were music, art, history, and preservation, endowing and enriching his family through a broad scope of cultural awareness and involvement. Joseph was an enthusiastic gardener, with a special fondness for birds. He is preceded in death by his wife Anna Belle, and his brother Robert. He is survived by his brothers Bruce and Richard Cartwright, and sister Ruth Ann Cartwright; his children Jessamyn Cartwright and Joseph L. Cartwright V of Prairie Village and Mission, Kansas respectively and Sarah Cartwright, of Des Moines, Iowa; granddaughters Mallory Cartwright and Bridget Pedersen; grandsons Taylor Smith and Joseph L. Cartwright VI; and 11 nieces and nephews. At Joseph’s request, there will be no funeral service. His ashes will be interred next to his wife’s in the garden at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 11 East 40th Street, Kansas City, MO. A memorial plaque will be placed on the church bell tower