Joan Cartwright Laszcz

Mrs. Joan Cartwright Laszcz, of Euclid, Ohio, age 100, passed away on October 14, 2024. Mrs. Laszcz was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana and was the youngest child of the late Leota and Emor Cartwright, MD. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Frank Laszcz, and her sister, Carolyn Sue Cartwright, DVM.

She is survived by her children, John Laszcz (Karen), Joseph Laszcz (Linda), Peter Laszcz (Judy), Cynthia Cole (Bradford), and Thomas Laszcz (Shirley). She is also survived by her six grandchildren, Bryan Cole (Adam Trick), Matthew Laszcz (Jungmin), Andrew Cole, Caroline Laszcz, Natalie Laszcz and David Cole (Meredith).

Mrs. Laszcz believed in education and hard work, and the importance of family. After completing a degree in English from Albion College where she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society and a member of Delta Gamma sorority, she graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master’s in Library Science and accepted a position as a librarian in the College of Education at Arps Hall on the main campus of The Ohio State University. During her first week of employment, she met a graduate student with a nice smile just back from WWII and studying to become a junior high teacher – Frank and Joan were married upon his graduation from OSU in 1950. 

Mrs. Laszcz had the first of her five children in 1951 and was a full-time Mom until her children were in junior high whereupon she resumed her career and became the head reference librarian at Euclid Public Library until her retirement at the age of 70. She loved Tom Jones, polka music, Dr. Zhivago (book and movie), shopping with her daughter, and the classic rock that her kids introduced to her. Favorite activities were dancing with Frank, reading, road trips, canoeing, and swimming at her parent’s lake house in northern Indiana.

In retirement, Mrs. Laszcz will be remembered for her volunteer work at East Shore United Methodist Church, her passion for travel (she climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia), attending her grandchildren’s school plays and band concerts, clipping newspaper articles that she would send to her children, her enjoyment of Rand McNally maps, watching news programs and taking notes, and drinking her coffee black while reading the morning Plain Dealer.

She was proud of having been a librarian, (best job in the world as she would say), swimming one mile across Lake Gage in Indiana while in college, raising 5 kids who all went to college, being from Indiana, and everything about Ohio State. However, what she was most proud of was being the mother of five children and six grandchildren, all of whom she loved unconditionally.

She was a loving mother, grandmother and friend who will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make donations to Hospice of the Western Reserve or your favorite charity. Services private.