James Allen Cartwright

IN  LOVING  MEMORY  OF

James Allen Cartwright

October 31, 1934 — April 5, 2018

VISITATION

Saturday, April 14, 2018 from 9:00 - 9:45 a.m.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

5685 N. Cedar Ave., Fresno, California

FUNERAL  SERVICE

Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

5685 N. Cedar Ave., Fresno, California

INTERMENT

Belmont Memorial Park

201 N. Teilman, Fresno, California

RELATIVES

Wife:  Beverly Ann Cartwright

Daughter:  Diana Lynn Holbrook

Daughter:  Vicky Ann Navo

Grandson:  Jason Holbrook

Grandson:  Joshua Holbrook

Granddaughter:  Mikayla Holbrook

Grandson:  Kenneth Holbrook (deceased)

Granddaughter:  Jolene Holbrook

Granddaughter:  Tanya Letto

Grandson:  David Navo, Jr.

Granddaughter:  Patricia Burke

Grandson:  Jamison Navo

Grandson:  Christopher Navo

Granddaughter:  Lindsey Sones

Great Grandchildren:  14

Brother:  Albert Bryant Cartwright (deceased)

Sister:  Marilyn Joyce Conde

Sister:  Alice Faye Whitney

Grieve not,

nor speak of me

with tears,

but laugh

and talk of me

as though I were

beside you.

I loved you so –

’twas Heaven

here with you.

OBITUARY

James Allen Cartwright, was born the second child of Albert Eugene Cartwright and Nellie Frances Moore in Fresno, California on October 31, 1934.  He and his wife Beverly Cartwright were delivered by the same doctor, about two years apart.  Jimmy had an older brother, the late Albert Bryant Cartwright, and has two younger sisters, Marilyn Joyce Conde and Alice Faye Whitney. 

For about five years during his childhood, the family lived on a five acre farm. There, Jimmy learned to milk cows, slop the pigs, collect eggs from the chickens, and tend the acre of tomatoes for market.   Unfortunately, Jimmy had some bad experiences with farm life.  His cow often dragged him through the grass before allowing him to stake her out for the day.  When he complained, his father decided to show the boys how to “handle the cow, and teach it who was boss.”  While their father attempted to demonstrate the proper techniques to the boys, the cow dragged him across the field, giving the two boys a good laugh.   Soon the cow found a new home.

They lived in the mountains near Bass Lake when Jimmy was older.  They loved to swim and slide down the boulders into the lake.  In logging country, there are man-made metal canals called flumes, which carry logs and water down the mountain.  When the flumes were filled with rushing water, the kids liked to walk down the mountain on the 2 by 12’s that partly covered the flumes.  When the flumes were dry, Jimmy and his friends had a great time sliding down the flumes into the lake, like a miles-long waterslide.

He graduated from Sierra Union High School in 1952. During High School years and after his graduation, Jimmy and his dad worked as lumberjacks at Shaver Lake.  It was here, four years later, that his father had a fatal logging accident.

Jim was introduced to Beverly Merritt in August of 1953, right before her senior year of High School.   They dated all that year until Bev graduated.   Then, on July 3, 1954, the couple eloped to Reno, Nevada.  Jim was then working at Shaver Lake with his dad, again falling timber. However, they were snowed out in August. Jim and Bev really did have nothing but love, so they moved to San Jose to look for work.   A friend let them live in their dilapidated garage which had holes in the walls.  They nearly froze in the winter.  They put a mattress on four boxes and put their electric blanket on the bed, running the cord up to the bare bulb connection in the ceiling.

Unfortunately, there was no work to be found, because Jim was of draft age.  They applied to a magazine company which was in town. Bev didn’t do badly, but can you imagine our quiet Jim trying to sell magazines?  Well, the bosses talked Jim into joining the Army and leaving Bev behind.  We all know that Bev wasn’t going to put up with that one bit. Besides, she discovered that she was pregnant, so she quit the sales business and followed Jim everywhere he was stationed.   

He went to boot camp in Tacoma, Washington.  Bev followed him, renting a room off base, with kitchen privileges for $15 a week.   That left her $5 for food.  It didn’t matter though.  She was too sick with morning sickness to eat anything, but crackers or Macaroni and cheese (which she could get for 10 cents).  

From Tacoma they went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and then to Fort Carson, Colorado, where he was trained as a radio operator.   It was in Fort Carson that Diana was born. 

He served in Germany for a year and a half.    Bev came home early to give birth to Vicky.  Shortly after Jim got home from Germany, in March of 58, he began working for Pacific Gas and Electric Company.  He started off in the construction crews for a short time, then moved to the meter shop where he repaired gas meters.  Later he became a gas pressure operator at the gas load center.  He retired in 1994, after 36 years.

During the 1980’s Bev and Jim enjoyed trips to many countries.  Having been interested in photography for many years, he photographed hundreds of famous landmarks around the world. This helped his interest grow into an avid hobby.   With this hobby, he has also photographed thousands of old pictures to help Bev with her genealogy.

Jim loved music.  He played the clarinet and the saxophone in High School and kept up with popular music stylists.  During his later years he again took up the Saxophone, Clarinet, and even dabbled a bit on the piano.   Every day Bev could hear him softly humming as he puttered around the house.

Jim was very quiet and shy, he never wanted to be the center of attention, but he was quick to laugh at a witty remark, and he frequently helped those in need.

Jim was very supportive of Bev in her church callings.  She served as the Stake Director for the Extraction Program in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for about two years.  During this time, there were 75 people who were indexing on their computers.  Jim made himself available to help these people set up their computer programs for indexing, and help solve problems as they came up.   When Bev wanted to make special gifts for Visiting teaching, Family History Workshops, Relief Society, or any other projects, Jim helped out by loading, unloading, and transporting supplies, using his wood crafting skills to make gifts, delivering meals to families in need, and in a hundred other ways.

Jim drove Bev around the country on three Family History trips.  One of these took three months.  Together, they walked through many a graveyard, cleaning and copying hundreds of gravestones.  Of course, they also visited the City Hall of Records in each area and photographed or copied records.

Jim was willing to open his home up to those in need.  Several of Diana’s and  Vicky’s friends, and several different families have lived in the Cartwright home over the years. 

When Jim’s mother became ill with cancer, she was in medical facilities for about a year and a half.  Every day, after they came home from work, Bev and Jim would travel the thirty minutes across town to the facility to take care of his mother.  They bathed her, brushed her hair, and tended to any other needs that she had.   This left a life-long impression on Vicky.  She learned what true devotion, selflessness, and compassion looks like.

Jim and Bev worked together in a symbiotic way.  When Jim discovered that he had kidney failure, and later, when he had a heart attack, they worked together to change his diet and make the many needed corrections in their lifestyle.  They shared the household duties. Where there was a lack on one side, the other could make up the difference.  In spite of his own issues, Jim was a very attentive caregiver to Bev and took on more and more of the standing type chores, especially as her mobility decreased.

Whenever Bev left the house, Jim helped her to the car, opening and closing the doors for her, and making sure she had everything she needed for her comfort and safety.  They had a tradition of giving each other a kiss and saying “I love you” to each other whenever they were separating. Even if one of them was only going to the post office or grocery store, they were sure to leave with the knowledge that they were loved and appreciated.  So it was that, in his final conscious moments, after almost 64 years of marriage, they told each other “I love you,” embraced, and shared their last kiss. 

He was a wonderful, loving and caring husband and father.  His family was always assured of security and stability.  We love him and will always miss him.

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