J Edward Cantwell, 82, of Denton, Texas, slipped peacefully away on March 30 ^th , 2019 surrounded by those who loved him and those he loved.  He was born September 10, 1936, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin to Edward Joseph Cantwell and Margaret May Lannon Cantwell.  He grew up in the picturesque small town of Delavan, Wisconsin and had an idyllic childhood as an only child hunting ducks and deer, fishing, golfing, Scouting, and playing baseball.  He graduated from Delavan High School where he was Class Secretary/Treasurer.  He maintained close friendships with his graduating class of 1954 and would continue to attend reunions of his class through the years.  He was affectionately known as "The Quiet Man" by his classmates and facetiously known as "The Flash" by his teammates.

Dad graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgy.  He was a lifelong Badger fan. Just out of college Dad got a job at the end of the world in the Texaco refinery in Port Arthur, Texas.  There he was set up on a blind date with a Speech Pathologist for the school district, and in the space of four months, met, dated, and married Nancy McKissack.  They married the day after Christmas because they could get the time off of work.  Mom and Dad always celebrated their wedding anniversary by eating Mexican food.  This is a tradition that our family maintains even after the death of Mom after 49 years of marriage to Dad.

Son Craig and daughter Carol were born in Port Arthur, Texas.  Daughter, Kate, was born in Houston, Texas.  Dad traveled the world during his work with Texaco, and later Caltex. He was often gone weeks at a time, carpooling with other Texaco employees to downtown Houston only to call Mom and have her grab his passport, pack his bag, and come take him to the airport.  We were never upset that Dad's travels might cause him to miss scout meetings, softball games, and sometimes a piano or dance recital.  We always knew that he loved us.

Dad was an active member of his church, a charter member of Memorial Drive Christian Church in Houston, Texas, and an Elder Emeritus of First Christian Church, Denton, Texas.  He and mother were examples in word and deed of the importance of faith in life and nurtured and supported that faith in their children's lives.

His honors and awards from such organizations as the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) are too numerous to mention here and he was considered an expert in the field of metallurgy.  He enjoyed his job, and many of his work relationships became personal friendships.

When Dad retired, he donated his extensive collection of barf bags from the weird and wacky airlines he traveled on from around the world.  After thousands of flights and countless miles, he had no desire to get on an airplane or see the inside of an airport again.  He and Mom threw themselves into their love of genealogy and were able to explore cemeteries and dig through courthouse records to their hearts' content. His dry sense of humor and wit will be greatly missed by his family.

Dad was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Nancy Carolyn McKissack Cantwell and his cat, Cleo. He is survived by son, Craig Cantwell and wife Valarie; daughter Carol Moore and husband Jim; daughter Kate Youden and husband Mark; grandchildren Trey, Hannah, and Campbell Moore; Will and Jack Youden; Mac and Kaelyn Cantwell.

The family would like to thank Lori Yoder for her loving care; nurses Cresha (aka Chichen Itza) and Ginger from ARC Home Health; Heather for her great neck and shoulder massages; Priscilla, his personal care aide, and physical therapists Trina and Gaye for making him exercise.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00am on Saturday April 6, 2019 at First Christian Church, Denton, Texas.  The family requests that in lieu of flowers, if desired, make a donation to First Christian Church, and in the memo put Memorial Committee – J Cantwell, 1203 N. Fulton, Denton, Texas 76201.  Arrangements are under the direction of Mulkey-Bowles- Montgomery, Denton, Texas.