CARY CARTWRIGHT POU, 83, died peacefully at home in Durham, North Carolina early on Friday, January 9, 2009 after a long courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease. A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Monday January 12 at the Memorial Park Funeral Home Chapel in Memphis, TN. Burial will follow in the Memorial Park Cemetery. Mrs. Pou was born in Memphis, Tennessee on December 8, 1925 to James Walker and Frances Wilson Cartwright. She graduated from Whitehaven High School in 1943, lived in Mexico City for a brief time and attended college at Colorado University in Boulder where she developed her passion for art. Creative expression was always a part of Cary's life. During her teenage years, she worked as a toy designer in her father's wooden toy factory. In her 20's she was a commercial artist on the staff of the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper. Later, she worked as a freelance commercial artist and designer on an eclectic blend of assignments ranging from designing vacation homes to marketing Welcome Wagon services. During those years Cary also raised four children and maintained a vibrant family life. She retired with her husband Dudley to Spruce Pine, NC where she attended classes at Penland art school. She was an active participant in the local crafts community creating and exhibiting quirky quilts and humorous ceramic sculpture. She and Dudley moved from Spruce Pine to Durham, NC for the warmer climate and to be nearer to family. Known as "Nana" to her four grandchildren, Cary was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations in Cary's memory be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601-7633 (800-272-3900) www.alz.org Memorial Park Funeral Home 901-767-8930 (Published in The Commercial Appeal on 1/11/2009)