Joseph Francis Bartlett

Joseph Francis Bartlett (veteran WWII & Korea) – Known as Joe to the countless people he befriended and Franny to family members. Joe was born July 28, 1926 in the Readville section of Boston, Massachusetts. The son of Alan and Katherine Bartlett of Prescott Street (both deceased) and nephew of Olive and Cliff Joslin (both deceased) of Norwood, MA. He married Dorothy Jean Christian (deceased) of Dedham MA in 1948 and they had four children together. Jacqueline Tulip (Steven) of Franklin NC, Joanne of Franklin NC, James (Carrie) of St. George, UT, and Joseph of Franklin, NC and Saco, Maine. In 1980, he married Catherine Holzman of Hyde Park, MA. They lived on Cape Cod, then in Florida.
Joe grew up during the Great Depression and worked as a golf caddy for just a few coins a day. It was then that his lifelong love of golf was born. In high school, Joe was an accomplished athlete excelling at hockey and track. On August 4, 1943, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy to serve in World War II. Joe was assigned to the North Atlantic fleet escorting supplies to the Azores. Joe also did a stint with the Navy shore patrol in Norfolk, VA. He loved loud, dangerous, smokey taverns and soon was known in every dive joint and trouble spot on the waterfront. Joe would laugh and tell of an admiral who liked the night life who had heard of Joe’s exploits and made Joe his personal driver and bodyguard. At the end of WWII, he returned home to Dorothy only to be recalled for the Korean War. He served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bataan CVL-29. The ship, with F4U-4 Corsairs, earned 7 battle stars for combat service in the Korean War including the Hungnam Evacuation (Chosin Reservoir). Joe was injured by shrapnel while serving on the Bataan. After his second war, Joe began a 26-year career with the Dedham Police Department. He had an encyclopedic memory. This, coupled with his love for talking to strangers, made for an enormous list of friends and acquaintances as well as many colorful stories which he loved telling. Family members and friends would marvel at how many people knew Joe. It was not uncommon during out of state travel that a stranger would suddenly emerge from a crowd and proclaim, “Joe, what are you doing here!”
Joe was a serious competitor and liked to play for money, be it at cards or golf. He was outstanding at both activities. As a golfer, he had dozens of holes-in-one and club championships in MA and FL during his long lifetime. His proudest golf moment was beating Arnold Palmer in 1961 during a national golf week promotional tournament which had a stop in MA. Joe still proudly displays the PGA award he received that day. In retirement, Joe worked in the pro shops at Hyannis Hills GC on Cape Cod and then at Bonita Fairways GC in southwest Florida until he was 90 years old.
Another of Joe’s passions was horses. The image of him fit and tanned riding horseback through the neighborhoods of Dedham, MA was commonplace. Joe was noted for his Christmas sleigh rides as well. He would dress as Santa and hook his horse to a red sleigh equipped with bells and lanterns to deliver gifts to children. It was hard to say who would be more surprised, the children he visited or the people driving in their cars who passed him going the other way during his snowy Christmas Eve travels. Joe loved pranks and once rode his horse right into the Old Mill Café tavern in East Dedham and ordered a beer while on horseback. In Florida, Joe was often seen in his customized golf cart with a spunky little English Fox Terrier dog named JB. Every one of his dogs was, in succession, named JB. Joe also loved his hats. Throughout his life he had and wore an impressive collection of hats. Once Joe reached his nineties, he came to love and wear one hat above all others. His WWII/Korea veteran hat. Joe loved socializing with people and that hat sparked many a conversation from admiring strangers and sometimes, a complimentary meal. Joe would just laugh and say it was his magic hat that made it happen. In truth, it was his friendly personality and gift of storytelling that supplied the magic. Joe will be interned in the New Hampshire State Veterans cemetery.