Bart Ladd Strother, 76, died on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. The cause was ALS.

Bart was born in Kansas City on June 16, 1944, and remained a resident of the city his entire life. He went to Southwest High School and then to the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

He got his B.S. degree in 1966 and earned an MBA from MU in 1968. He found his professional calling a few years later, when he entered the UMKC School of Law. He got his law degree in 1975 and soon joined a firm headed by highly regarded attorney Max Foust. Bart became a partner and was with the firm Foust, Strother and Frickleton for more than 15 years before going out on his own.

Spurred partly by his love of fishing and wanting to spend more time with daughter Tracy (always “Daddy’s little girl”), Bart took early retirement mid-1990s. His default fishing site was Lake of the Ozarks, but he made innumerable trips, including to places like the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, the Amazon, the Mexican Sierra Madre, Canada and the Caribbean. A retreat closer to home was a farm, east of Lone Jack, that he and his wife of 39 years, Carla King, purchased many years ago.

Bart was a man of no airs, which helped gain him a wide circle of devoted friends, whom he regularly entertained with his wicked and singular sense of humor. At gatherings of friends, he was almost always the font of levity and the focal point of attention. After one memorable party, he rated the guests, dishing out grades ranging from A’s to a couple of unfortunate F’s.

Starting with his MU days, Bart was a big fan of Tiger football. Like many MU grads, he didn’t particularly care for KU. But, as fate would have it, Tracy fell in love with and married a Jayhawk, Clint Jones. During a hilarious speech at the wedding reception, Bart looked over at Clint and warned he would be keeping a close eye on him. He followed that with: “I’m going to say this once, and it will be the only time you ever hear me say it: Rock Chalk Jayhawk!” The assembled crowd roared with laughter.

By his many friends, Bart will be remembered only with smiles.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Jim Strother. He is survived by his wife Carla King; daughter Dr. Tracy (Clint) Jones; grandsons Oliver and William Jones; brother Dan (Tina) and their five children; and nephew Sam Strother (Sarah), Jim’s son, who at his wedding named Bart his “best” and “worst” man.

The family extends special thanks to AscendHospice; to Jill, Pat, Ian and Flo of In-Home Care Services; and Tenese with Synergy HomeCare.

A private funeral and a graveside service was held Thursday, Oct. 22, at Mount Moriah Cemetery. Instead of flowers, the family requests legacy tree contributions be made to everloved.com/life-of/bart-st….