Arthur N. Winter

Art was born in a farmhouse in northeast Iowa, April 7th, 1933 to Joseph and Teresa Winter (Kuenher), second generation German Catholics.
Art had no interest in farming despite being raised in this rural, agricultural community. This could have been because, when recalling their first year on their depression era farm, he would quote his father, who said that they had $5 in their pocket and "they were damn glad of it." So, even though, as the eldest son, he did his share of the farm work, he would wait in anticipation for the delivery of the Des Moines Register, to read about the progress of Allies in World War 2 or the trials of his favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, in other words, to dream of places far from those dusty acres in Iowa.
Art attended both elementary and high school in Lawler, Iowa, not far from the farm. Later, after initially trying the sensible policy of studying Accounting, something he found much to his disliking, and was none too successful at, he returned to his childhood interest: Journalism. He graduated from the University of Iowa with that degree.
Art married his childhood sweetheart in 1956: Annie Elizabeth Denner: a marriage that would last 65 years.
Soon after the wedding he was shipped off to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to serve two years in the army, something, he would also tell us, he was none too successful at.
After army life, Art worked at a series of newspapers back home in Iowa, and, though he liked the work and found reporting and writing interesting, there was something lacking. Art found that something when he returned with a new found interest to the faith of his upbringing: Catholicism.
From then on he would make his lifes work combining these two great interests: journalism and Catholic faith. He, and his young family, took a big step forward in that pursuit when Art attended a lay person liturgy education program in San Francisco. After that he would work on various dioceses newspapers in Atchison, Kansas and Peoria, Illinois.
While working at one of those newspapers, he got a call from the managing editor of a national publication called the National Catholic Reporter (NCR), located in Kansas City, Missouri. He took that job, travelled to Kansas City, as Betty recalled, with 10 dollars in their pockets (this time) and ended up working at the NCR for 29 years. At the NCR he did everything from write the stories, to edit others copy, to starting an audio program: Credence Cassettes (back then it was produced on cassettes), to starting another publication dedicated to the subject of prayer: Praying Magazine.
He is survived by his wife, Betty, of 65 years. Jean Perez, the eldest, of Las Vegas, Nevada. Steve Winter, the eldest son, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Thomas Winter, the baby, of Kansas City. He had five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Art was preceded in death by his parents: Joseph and Teresa Winter and his younger brother, Alvin.
In the final months prior to his death, Art would often reach into his billfold and, because his memory had begun to fail him, he would take from it a small, yellow, crumpled slip of paper. On this he had written a quote from second Corinthians (13.5). With a shaking hand, but strong voice he would read to us what he wanted us to reflect upon. He would do this because, until the end, he was dedicated to his calling: which was to report to all his deeply developed and devoted Christian faith.
He would read, "Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you."
He was a reporter of the good news.
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Visitation
Saturday, June 11, 2022
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

St. Therese Little Flower 5814 Euclid AveKansas City, Missouri 64130

Directions
Mass of Christian Burial
Saturday, June 11, 2022
12:00 PM

St. Therese Little Flower 5814 Euclid AveKansas City, Missouri 64130

Directions