William "Bill" Wood Cartwright

William “Bill” Wood Cartwright, 80 years old, formerly of Morristown, New Market, and Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away unexpectedly among family, near Lexington, Massachusetts on November 20th.  He is remembered as a gentleman, a devoted family man, and a keen observer and lover of life.

Mr. Cartwright grew up in Winchester, Tennessee; Columbus, Georgia; Pinehurst, North Carolina; and River Forest, Illinois, where he attended Oak Park High School.   Thereafter, he attended Milliken College, later serving for 40 years as vice-president of manufacturing and co-owner of Morris Wood Tool Co., Inc., which ceased operations, in Morristown, in 2014.  He was a long-time member of the Morristown Rotary Club.

Mr. Cartwright was a lifelong outdoorsman and naturalist, by turns a speedboat racer, hunter, whitewater kayaker, beekeeper, and trail hiker.  He was active in the Boy Scouts of America for much of his life, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout in his youth and serving periodically as a scout leader, into his 70s.

A baptized Protestant, Mr. Cartwright was an active member of and frequent visitor to various congregations, throughout his life.  As a student of Native American, Eastern, and other traditions, he was a friend of all faiths that nourished his sense of ethics, duty, harmony, and fellowship.  

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease at the age of 72, Mr. Cartwright continued to live independently for four years, making new friends from all walks of life and sharing humor, as well as poignant insight, into his condition.  His decline was distinguished by sociability, courtesy, and respect for others.

The son of a U.S. Army staff officer to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mr. Cartwright rendered his military service in the Illinois National Guard.  His father, Col. H.H. Cartwright, of St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France, was first to precede him in death, in 1961.

In 2001, Mr. Cartwright lost his mother, the indomitable,                                         Annabeth Wood Cartwright, of Morristown, Tennessee, and in 2003, he was widowed by the death of his beloved second wife, Pamela Kennedy Cartwright.  He and his first wife, Andrea Given Cartwright, of Knoxville, formed a happy friendship, in his later years.

Mr. Cartwright is survived by family in two states.  In Massachusetts: Son,                            William Wood Cartwright, Jr., his wife, Vanessa Tomasic Cartwright, their sons, William Wood Cartwright, III, and Weston James Cartwright, and their daughter,  Anna Frances Cartwright, all of Lincoln.  In Tennessee: Son,                                          Michael Given Cartwright, of Knoxville; son, Maxwell Kennedy Cartwright, his wife, Abbee Cole Cartwright, and their sons, Hayden James Cartwright and  Silas Henry Cartwright, of Morristown; brother, John “Jack” Wood Cartwright and wife, Patricia Hardin Cartwright, of Morristown; and niece,                                     Cynthia Cartwright Austin and her husband, Stephen Neil Austin, of Signal Mountain. Niece, Virginia Cartwright Goan, of Morristown, passed away in 2016.

A memorial reception will be held on Sunday, December 16th, from 1:30-3:30 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church, in Morristown.  Friends of Bill and his family are invited to attend.  In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to Friends of the Smokies (www.friendsofthesmokies.org,) are requested. 

Mr. Cartwright’s remains will be interred at Sea Pines Cemetery, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  Services will be held at graveside.  Notes of condolence to the family can be sent by mail to: The Family of Bill Cartwright: P.O. Box 1283, Talbott, TN 37877.

Announcement courtesy of Westside Chapel Funeral Home in Morristown.

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