Max William Cartmill

Max William Cartmill, 95, of Ottawa, Kansas, passed away Saturday, May 18, 2019 at Rock Creek of Ottawa. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M., Thursday, May 23, 2019, at Dengel & Son Mortuary. Family will meet with friends from 6:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M., Wednesday, May 22, 2019, at the mortuary. Interment Highland Cemetery, Ottawa. Max was born on November 24, 1923 in Franklin County. He was the son of William and Frances (Keithline) Cartmill. He was a lifetime resident of Franklin County. Max went to rural grade schools and graduated from Ottawa High School in 1941. He married Vada (Welton) Cartmill on May 16, 1948 at Ruhamah Baptist Church. They spent all of their 71 years of marriage in Ottawa, Kansas. Max and Vada were the parents of three children; Larry, Marie and Jill. They were the joy of his life. Max retired from Hallmark Cards after twenty years in January 1986. Before that he worked at Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Goodyear and the Ottawa Co-op. Max was an involved member of Trinity United Methodist Church for seventy years where he served as a Boy Scout leader and on many local, district and conference church committees. While their children were at home, he and Vada were very involved in the 4-H program of Franklin County, being project leaders in many capacities. One of Max’s greatest accomplishments was helping the 4-H youth with their Rabbit, Poultry and Pigeon projects around the state. For many years he enjoyed being a 4-H fair judge of those projects. He was devastated when vision loss prevented him from being able to continue judging. He is survived by his wife Vada, Ottawa; daughter Marie and husband Lyman Adams, Hillsboro; daughter Jill and husband Ron Anderson, Lawrence; daughter-in-law Nancy Cartmill, Harrisonville, Missouri; sister May Gorton, Baldwin City; brother-in-law George Stewart, Lawrence; and sister-in-law Carol Welton, Ottawa. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; son Larry Cartmill (March 2019); sister Donna Stewart; and brother-in-law Max Gorton. Max was unique and remarkable in many ways, but his true legacy was his love of the Lord, his wife and his family. The family suggests memorial contributions to Trinity United Methodist Church or the Franklin County 4-H Development Fund c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, 235 S. Hickory, Ottawa, Kansas 66067. Family and friends are encouraged to post their condolences and memories on Max’s Tribute Wall at www.dengelmortuary.com