Arthur Fred Dewsberry

1929 - 2025

Arthur Fred Dewsberry

August 23, 1929 - April 23, 2025

Lee's Summit, Missouri - Arthur Fred Dewsberry passed away peacefully shortly before 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 at the Care Center in John Knox Village in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Art is survived by his three children, Bruce (and wife Peggy), Elise (and husband Stephen), and Fred (and wife Sandra), and four granddaughters, Rebecca (and husband Ihab Gabra), Adrienne, Lisa (and husband Adrian Brydon), and Cara.

Art was born on August 23, 1929 in Elmhurst, Illinois, and graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering before being drafted into the Korean War. During his officer training, he met June Elise Baur, and they were engaged just before he was shipped out to the Far East Command as a Second Lieutenant. Upon being stationed in Japan (instead of being sent to the Korean front), Art sent for June and they were married in Yokohama, where they lived until the end of the war. They started their family in the Chicago area, and then moved to the Detroit area of Michigan; the Toronto area of Ontario, Canada; then Hastings-on-Hudson, New York; and then Lee's Summit, Missouri, where he and June settled in John Knox Village in 1991.

Art began his career as a mechanical engineer in Chicago with International Harvester, during which time he earned his Master's Degree from Northwestern University. Art then moved to Massey Ferguson, which took the family first to Detroit, Michigan, and later to Toronto, Ontario when Art became the Director of Harvesting Engineering Worldwide. This work involved a lot of traveling, which took Art to Europe, Australia, and frequently to Russia to work on new combine engines.

Art also loved to travel with June, and over the years they visited many places including England, Wales, Scotland, Paris, Australia, Cozumel, Tahiti, New Zealand, Hawaii, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Alaska, Switzerland, Seoul, Norway, Greece, Italy, Peru, Istanbul, Germany, and India.

After Art retired, he volunteered for the International Executive Services Corp (IESC) an organization that sends senior-level experts in various industries to help businesses and government agencies in 120 countries. He, with June by his side, completed seven assignments for IESC in such places as Romania, Sri Lanka, Zambia, and India (several times).

Art was also a very active volunteer at John Knox Village, serving two 6-year terms as a resident member of the John Knox Board of Directors (once as secretary); being the resident representative on the Board Committee who hired the soon-to-retire President of the Village; serving as President of the Resident Council; and participating for many years on the RC Finance Committee (where he was Chairman more than once.).

Having studied elocution as a child, Art was a sought-after speaker for the JKV Colloquium program of presentations and discussions on various topics, which often included presenting slides of their many trips around the world. Art and June took part for several years in the UMKC Medical Students Program, helping to mentor young medical students in the area of geriatric medicine.

Art found many other ways to keep busy in retirement including substitute teaching, tax preparation, working at the Village Care Center Ice Cream Parlor, and even being a model at the annual JKV Auxiliary Thrift Shop fashion show.

Art was a kind and loving man who lived for his wife and family, providing unwavering support and acceptance. He will be remembered for his quiet but dryly cynical wit, and for his love of reading history books, doing crossword puzzles, and eating all things strawberry.

The family requests that memorial donations be made in Art's name to the John Knox Village Foundation.