Robert F. Cartwright

Robert F. Cartwright, 67, of Coal Valley, Illinois, died Wednesday, December 18, 2013, in Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf, Iowa.

Services are 10:30 a.m. Monday in the Celebration of Life Chapel at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Moline, with Fr. Jim DeBisschop officiating. Burial is in Rock Island National Cemetery, where Moline American Legion Post #246 will present military honors. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home, followed by visitation until 4 p.m. Memorials may be made to Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Robert Francis Cartwright was born January 22, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Robert Francis and Jeanne Newman Cartwright. He graduated from Boston College in 1967, received his Masters Degree from Cleveland State University in 1983, and graduated from the U. S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1990. He was on active duty with the U. S. Army for 12 years, and later with the U. S. Army Reserves, retiring as Lt. Col. He served in country during the Vietnam War, and earned several medals and citations, including the Bronze Star Medal.

He later was a civilian employee of the Department of Defense for several years, retiring as a teacher in Industrial Engineering Management at the Defense Acquisition University at the Rock Island Arsenal. He was a member of St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, Coal Valley, American Legion, DAV, NRA, and the Republican Party. He loved spending time with his family, and was a good husband, father, grandfather, and caretaker.

Bob is survived by his wife, Susan; three sons and their wives, Jason and Patricia Cartwright of Libertyville, Illinois, Charles Cartwright of Coal Valley, and James and Jennifer Cartwright of East Moline; four grandchildren, Nathan, Thomas, Matthew, and Alexandra with a fifth grandchild expected in February; and sisters, Barbara Michelson of Bellport, New York, and Cynthia Cartwright of Brooklyn, New York. . He was preceded in death by his son Robert, who died as a newborn infant in 1972.

Bob's family invites friends to share stories and condolences and light a candle in his memory at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.