Michael Norman Cantwell

CANTWELL, Michael Norman, of Tampa, Fl. passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 following a brief illness.  Michael was born on December 19, 1936, in Columbus , Ohio, the youngest of the four children of Edward G. and Margaret A. (Mignot) Cantwell. 

Michael was preceded in death by his wife Ruth the love of his life, sister, Sally M. Nardi and husband George, brother Edward P. Cantwell, and niece Julia A. Cantwell.  He is survived by his brother J. Thomas Cantwell and wife Mitzi, sister in law Carolyn S. Cantwell, and many nephews and nieces.

He grew up in Columbus in St. Mary Magdalene parish and graduated from Aquinas High School in 1954. He attended the University of Notre Dame and received a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1958. He was a registered professional engineer in both the state of Ohio and Michigan, he also received a Certificate de Ingenere from the Ecole Polytechnique of the Universite de Paris in 1964.  He worked for the State of Ohio Department of Transportation (1958-1964) and Beloit Corporation (1965-1967) managing information system projects.  In 1967 he joined Grant Thornton International as a consulting manager and was admitted as a partner in the firm in 1970. Prior to his retirement in 1997, he held the positions of National Director of Manufacturing and Distribution Practice and the National Director of Management Consulting for the North American region within the firm.

Michael and Ruth enjoyed traveling and they were able to visit many places in the country and around the world. He loved the University of Notre Dame and was active within the Notre Dame community.  He enjoyed fly fishing and was a longtime member of the Rockwell Springs Trout Club in Castalia, Ohio.

Michael was a beloved uncle and a treasured friend.  Memories of time spent together, wonderful conversations and lively story telling will be cherished by all who knew him.

Thank you to Dr. Bryan Bognar, Carolyn Craig, Shyrl Melton, and Rick Sanzeni, and to caregivers Jessica Melton and Lisbeth Castro for everything each of you did for Michael over the years.

There will be a Mass of Christian Burial held at Saint Mary Magdalene Church at 473 South Roys Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43204 at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, August 27, 2020.  Burial to follow at St. Joseph Cemetery.  At Michael’s request, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html

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