Ronald Lee Cartwright (1946-2025)
Ronald was
born in Williston on April 1st of 1946 as the third child into a
growing farm family of Alva and Myrtle Cartwright outside of Dagmar, Montana. Growing up as a farm kid suited the young lad
perfectly. The joy of accomplishment a boy
experiences in executing daily chores, successfully raising livestock, plus managing land for hay, pasture and crops gave Ronald confidence to tackle
almost anything in life.
Ronnie’s
second passion came naturally as a young teenager in honing his skills as an
athlete. The stories were told numerous
times of playing baseball in the family sheep pasture with his siblings and neighbor
kids, as well as trying to beat his older brother in basketball in the loft of the family
barn - supposedly Ron was winning one of these contests, but John terminated the game early due to the winter cold naturally deflating the ball more than his liking! Downing pheasants and ducks more successfully than his hunting partners, being the Dagmar team baseball catcher when the legendary “Big” Ed Smith continually
adorned the mound, and competing against the famous Williston native Phil Jackson were cherished experienced that Ron greatly enjoyed. Ronald even went on
to play a year of college basketball at Dawson County Community College in
Glendive and had stories of highly successful physical training competitions
during his early days in the National Guard.
July of 1970
brought-in the start of 55 years of marriage to Judy Zeilstra and the beginning
of their own family. It wasn’t long
before three children kept the house buzzing with activity. Ronald and Judy prospered as parents with a
gracious mix of discipline, freedom, and developing a strong work ethic in
their offspring.
With Ronald’s
family farm being soundly managed by his parents and siblings, he took the
opportunity to enlist into the National Guard to give-back to his country, as
well as complete a college Master’s degree in the field of Education to help
young students across the state. The
family moved numerous times (like most young teachers) with teaching stops in Flaxville, Richey,
Ophiem, Melstone, Hays-Lodgepole, Moore, and Brockton - but always with thoughts
and the goal of getting back full-time to Medicine Lake.
Medicine Lake
was his home and where his heart was – operating farm equipment and raising
livestock was his number one personal passion.
Very few things (well, probably only a bowl of ice cream and a card game
of bridge) brought more joy to Ronald than looking out across the Sheridan
County grasslands in the spring to admire a new calf crop amongst the variety
of prairie grasses. Many town
folks probably remember seeing him just as frequently in the summer driving a
tractor or hay swather as they would see him in a pick-up truck. Ronald was always striving to grow his farm
business and even experimented with and executed on livestock artificial
insemination and embryo transfers in his later years to aid his goals.
As with all
great family patriarchs, the grandchildren were important to nurture and guide. “Papa” always encouraged his proteges to try
new things, take on new experiences, and challenge themselves with a variety of
goals. He was always proud of the accomplishments
his children and grandchildren were able to achieve. Our family will miss his “can-do” attitude
and ability to stay positive despite the circumstances.
Ronald’s
National Guard duties culminated with 20 years of honorable service and a 2003-’04
wartime tour of Iraq. As with most all
of the great veterans of his time, Ron was extremely proud of his military
service – often wearing his military baseball caps and jackets, but humble enough to share his
stories as only positive reflections on the challenges of the time.
The numerous
relationships that were fostered during his military, teaching, and farming
career always resulted in Ron having a plethora of folks to mingle and connect
with during high school sporting events, livestock sales, and farm auctions
throughout the state and region. He will
be remembered and cherished by many great folks.
Ronald is preceded in death by his parents Alva and Myrtle, plus two older siblings – Helen and John. The Ronald Cartwright family continues with surviving members of Judy (wife) and three children – Marc, Brant, and April. Marc resides in Grand Forks with his wife Groovy and two teenage daughters (Samia and Kavya). Brant resides in Williston with his wife Hollie and three young sons (Logan, Lucas, and Derek). April and her husband Dave Hoffman live in Wisconsin and their daughter Kayleena resides in the Gallatin Valley of southern Montana. Two great grandchildren already bless the family in Andreas and Leila in southern Montana. Ron has two living brothers (Clint and Curt) as well as two sister-in-laws (Linda and Vicki) and numerous nieces and nephews that assist in carrying-on the Cartwright family legacy and traditions.
Comments
Post a Comment