Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and native son of Boerne earned his eternal reward on May 22, 2018. Harvey was born in Boerne, Texas to Bernard and Mary Kronkosky Cartwright on July 21, 1931. His father Bernard was an accomplished fiddler and pianist who formed the ”Cartwright Brothers”, a Columbia Records western music duo who had a daily show on young San Antonio radio station WOAI. Bernard later became the Kendall County Emergency Management coordinator, then Boerne Postmaster. After Bernard’s death, Harvey’s mother Mary became the Boerne Postmaster until her retirement in 1973.
Born during the Great Depression, Harvey enjoyed his upbringing in Boerne and helped support his family raising chickens and goats. He was a proud Boy Scout who enjoyed the great outdoors and was active in sports throughout his youth. At Boerne High School, he played third base in Baseball, was on the tennis and basketball teams and was the Senior Class President. He shared the love of music his father instilled in him. He played baritone in the High School Band and was accomplished on the piano, organ and ukulele. Growing up, he held many odd jobs around Boerne including delivering groceries for the local market, setting pins at the Turn Verein bowling alley, and he even took a turn as a cowboy, tending cattle for a retired Colonel.
Boerne’s Doctor Jack Diamond introduced Harvey to flying and cave exploring and took him on adventures that inspired his interests from that day forward. After High School, Doc Diamond encouraged Harvey to go to College. He attended St. Mary’s University, graduating cum laude with a degree in Business in 1957. As a student, he was inducted into the Delta Sigma Epsilon National Scholastic Honor Society. While at St. Mary’s he founded the Spelunking Club (cave exploring) and with his classmates explored caves in and around the Hill Country. During summers they explored caves in the mountainous regions of Mexico. His club would later discover Natural Bridge Caverns.
While at St. Mary’s, he and roommate Neil Kammer became close friends and Harvey spent one summer at Neil’s family home in New York City. The small town boy rode the subways and buses of New York just like a native to get to his summer job working at a hospital. It was Neil and his future wife Lucy, who introduced Harvey to Mary Joan Toman.
Mary Joan was attending Incarnate Word College at the time and these two young students, both from close families quickly became very fond of each other. Following Mary Joan’s graduation from Incarnate Word, they married in 1958 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in San Antonio and spent a year living at the Brigidine Sisters home on Loma Linda, before it became their convent and kindergarten.
Harvey began his professional career as manager of Studer’s Photography Labs in San Antonio before his friend Neil Kammer introduced him to a new field called computer science in the early 1960’s. Harvey learned computer science from Neil which led him to a career at USAA, where he led the team that installed a computer system using this new technology in the 1960’s. He spent the next 20 years at USAA managing technology projects before retiring in 1986.
Harvey was a founding member of St. Luke’s Catholic Church, where he was a Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Catechism Teacher, School Board President and a member of the Knights of Columbus and Men’s Club.
Harvey and Mary Joan were the proud parents of five children all of whom attended St. Brigid’s Kindergarten and St. Luke’s Catholic School. Their children were active in scouts and sports at St. Luke’s and Harvey coached many of their teams, including football, softball, baseball, track & field and basketball.
The family of seven enjoyed their many camping trips to Bid Bend, Cloudcroft, Red River and White Sands, New Mexico, Durango, Breckenridge and Vail, Colorado, the Grand Canyon, the Texas Coast and border towns of Mexico. They spent weekends and holidays at their retreat just outside of Boerne.
Following his retirement, Harvey and Mary Joan enjoyed their travels to Alaska, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles and their great train excursion across the American Northwest.
They were blessed with seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. They called him “Papa” and he loved doting on them, entertaining them during the summers and attending all of their sports, school, church and extracurricular events.
Harvey and Mary Joan celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary earlier this year. Being a loving husband, dedicated and supportive father and devoted family man were his priority and his greatest strength. You could always depend upon him when you needed him.
He is preceded in death by his father Bernard, his mother Mary and his sisters Kay Bernsen and Carol Haufler. He is survived by brother Patrick Cartwright of Melbourne, Florida.
He is also survived by his beloved wife Mary Joan, daughter Elizabeth Foti of San Antonio, sons Brian and wife Dayna Cartwright of Boerne, Kenneth and wife Linda of Austin, Craig and Jeff Cartwright of San Antonio. His loving grandchildren include Allison Traver of San Antonio, Valerie and husband Matt Quesada of Aurora, Colorado, Stephanie and husband Chris Curless of Helotes, Kurt Foti of San Antonio, Nicholas Cartwright of Boerne, and Hannah and Jordan Cartwright of Austin. Great grandchildren Kaidin and Lily Traver, and Charlotte Curless, with Elizabeth Rose Quesada to be born in June.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”. 2 Timothy 4:7-8.
Visitation, followed by a Catholic Rosary and Funeral Mass will take place at St. Luke’s Catholic Church, 4603 Manitou, San Antonio, Texas 78228 on Friday, June 1, 2018 beginning at 9:30 a.m. Interment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery in San Antonio. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made c/o The Brigidine Sisters; 5118 Loma Linda Dr; San Antonio Texas 78201, or the Alzheimer’s Association San Antonio & South Texas Chapter https://act.alz.org/site/Donation2?11461.donation=form1&idb=242455547&df_id=11461&mfc_pref=T&11461.donation=root
Arrangements are by Sunset Northwest Funeral Home.
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