This site is best viewed with a screen resolution of 1024 X 768 or greater. Your current resolution is .
Gatlinburg Presbyterian Church at
Join Us for Sunday Services at 11:00 AM
237 Reagan Drive
Gatlinburg, TN
 Grant Cantwell |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Beloved Grant Cantwell dies By STAN VOIT Aug 30, 2008
"He gave so much that many people never realized," Dr. David Ratliff said. After Cantwell's wife Sara Beth died, Ratliff would take him on trips he was making on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains or the Sevierville Rotary Club. Often the entire Ratliff family went along. "I knew he couldn't logistically travel like he used to," Ratliff said. "He went with us to San Diego, Boston and Orlando, among other places. He was supposed to be my roommate in San Francisco on another trip this summer, but the doctors said he couldn't go." Cantwell's health began to fail in recent months after surgery to stop internal bleeding. Still, he made it to the Aug. 16 Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation ball in Gatlinburg. The Thomas Foundation was among the many causes Cantwell backed. He was generous with the hospital, Rotary Club charities and the drive to build a new Sevier County Main Library. "He was a big supporter of the library," K.C. Williams, director of the Sevier County Public Library System, said. "He was a sweetheart to me. He took me under his wing when I first joined Rotary. How do you measure what you get from someone who gives you weekly encouragement and reminds you what you are doing is wonderful for the community? He gave me that kind of support." The Hearing and Speech Foundation, based in Maryville, honored Cantwell in 2004 with a tribute banquet. He served on the foundation for more than 40 years and was a volunteer in Sevier County. He was a longtime member of Gatlinburg's First Presbyterian Church. The day care center at the church is named in honor of Sara Beth Cantwell. Cantwell started Smoky Mountain Vending in Sevier County not long after he married Sara Beth in 1959. She was running a business called Sally's Salads. They merged their operations and formed the business, which at one time was the largest vending company in East Tennessee. He sold the business to his nephew several years ago. The Cantwells moved from Knoxville to Gatlinburg in the early 1960s and lived in a home high above Gatlinburg, with a terrific view of Mount LeConte. "They spent many happy hours on the screened-in porch looking at the mountains," his daughter, Carolyn Belk, said. "He loved this community. He was always willing to help people who needed his help." Sara Beth Cantwell died in 2004. A son, Bill, died about two years ago. Cantwell was a founding board member of Citizens National Bank when it was started in 1973. He remained on the board until his death. "We're deeply saddened by Grant's death," bank President/CEO David Verble said. "He was a great bank director. Grant never met a stranger. He was a truly great individual, generous and always giving to this community, both in terms of money and time. He was a friend to everyone." Mark Ross, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains, said Cantwell was "a true friend to all the kids of Sevier County. His generosity and spirit always made the children smile. He was with us from the beginning and used to attend national conferences even though he wasn't a board member. He loved being around people helping kids." "You couldn't help but love Grant," Ratliff said. "He would light up a room."
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
