George Cleaveland Cantrell, 92, of Coffeyville Kansas passed away at Medicalodge on Midland on September 7, 2023. George was born in LaGrange, Georgia, on September 17, 1930, to Beth Sheba and Lawrence Cantrell. He enlisted in the United States Air Force where he met the love of his life Geraldine Marie Davis.
George married Geraldine and they made their home in Wellington, Kansas and had four sons, Michael, Drew, James, and Ted. He worked at many different jobs to provide for his family, instilling in his sons the importance of work. One of his favorite sayings was "busy hands are happy hands." Anyone who knew him knew he loved to whistle and sing, he always smiled. He was everyone’s friend.
The family moved from Wellington to Coffeyville in 1968 where he opened Cantrell's Davis Paint which later became Cantrell's Jewelry. When it closed, he went to work for Walmart and eventually retired from there as a manager. In his later years he enjoyed mowing his yard and could be found riding his mower around the neighborhood to visit friends and family.
George is survived by Michael, Drew, James (Sonya), and Ted (Heather) Cantrell. He is survived by grandchildren Marcia (Matt) Egermeier, Charles Cantrell, John (Heather) Cantrell, Joe (Alissa) Cantrell, Dave (Julia) Cantrell, and Dustin (Alicia) Cantrell, and Cassandra, Steven, and Anthony Cantrell. He is survived by numerous great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother and father and all of his siblings and his wife of over 69 years, Geraldine Cantrell.
Memorial services will be held at the Ford-Wulf-Bruns Chapel, 2405 Woodland Ave., Coffeyville on Tuesday, September 12th at 11am with visitation prior to the service from 10 to 11am. Inurnment will follow at Robbins Cemetery where he will be laid to rest next to the love of his life, Geraldine. Visit www.fordwulfbrunschapel.com under his obituary to view the live stream of his service, to share a memory or leave an online condolence for the family.
Memorial contributions may be made to Harry Hines Hospice or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and be left in the care of the chapel.
