Arthur A. McCourt passed away on the morning of Friday, 15 Nov 2019. Born on 06 Jan 1926, he was 93 years old at the time of his death. Details on a future celebration of his life will be forthcoming.

Arthur, known as Art by family and friends, grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas during the Great Depression. He and his brother Charles were raised by their widowed mother Emma and her sister Annie. He was grounded in the Catholic faith and developed a strong work ethic. After graduating from high school, he joined the US Army and served in World War II under the command of General George Patton. His unit saw action in the Battle of the Bulge and helped to liberate Nazi concentration camps. After the war, he served in the Graves Administration, helping to identify bodies of people killed. During the Korean conflict, he was recalled to service and spent this time as the Sports Editor of the Stars and Stripes newspaper in Panama.

As a kid growing up, Art loved comic books and was enthralled by the art work. This passion led him to art school in Chicago after his military service.While working in Chicago, he met Mary Glenn "Peggy" Hoffman, fell in love, and the two were married on 10 Apr 1954. His marriage to Peg lasted over forty years until her passing in 1996.

In the late 1950s, Art moved the family to Dallas, Texas. He took a job with Ling Tempco Vault (LTV), a military contractor that built airplanes for the US Navy. He illustrated many of the technical manuals used to service these planes. He worked for LTV for over thirty years, retiring in 1991.

Art's first passion was cartooning. He often toiled at his drawing board at home after work, drawing cartoons for magazines and papers. His cartoons appeared in Field and Stream, Ladies Home Journal, the National Enquirer, and other publications. He dreamed of having a comic strip published in newspapers all across America, but that was not to be.

Art loved the sounds of Dixieland and Big Band music: Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and others. One of his fondest memories was getting to meet, and get his picture taken with, the great Louis Armstrong. Art and Peg loved going to movies. Many a Saturday night was spent making popcorn, filling the cooler with root beer, and loading the kids into the station wagon for a trip to the drive-in.Westerns starring John Wayne, screwball comedies, or the occasional drama were on the bill.An avid reader, Art loved books on science fiction, history, and biographies, particularly stories about the Wild West, cowboys, and native peoples. He and Peg frequently drove around Texas, visiting sites and learning more about things he had read.

Art loved to cook, having spent time in the kitchen with his grandmother, mom, and aunt. He learned some of the secrets of Italian cooking from neighbors while growing up. It was always a treat when he baked lasagna or cooked spaghetti and meatballs from scratch. He knew his way around a grill. Sundays were a special time when he served barbecue with fried okra and homemade creamed corn. He was also good at making Chinese food.
To say Art loved football would be a gross understatement. First as a fan of the Chicago Bears and later the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns, Art was a fixture in front of the TV set on game days. He and son Kevin attended Texas high school playoff games in the Dallas area for over thirty years.

Devoted husband, a loving father with a hearty laugh, Art is survived by:
• Son Jeff, his wife Nancy, and their children Ryan and Colleen.
• Son Kevin and his wife Tina.
• Daughter Tracy, her husband Bill, and their children Matt,
Brittany, Brittany and Gina. 3 Great Grandchildren.
• Son Aubrey.

Art will be lovingly remembered and sorely missed by all the people whose lives he touched.