Born in 1934, James S. Cantrell served in the peace-time army in Korea from 1956-1957. He returned to the states to complete his undergraduate degree in Economics at Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH. He went on to serve a distinguished career in finance. He had 3 sons, a step-son and step-daughter, and 6 grandchildren.

He lost his first wife, Marcy, in 1986, and married Kathy in 1990. He was diagnosed with ALS in early 2011, and passed away due to respiratory complications on August 5, 2011.

A soccer enthusiast, he is pictured with his grandson, Hiatt Ellis, last spring.