John James Cantwell Sr.

John James Cantwell, Sr., 78, of Mount Joy, formerly of Pottsville, died peacefully on Monday, March 24, 2025, at home after a long, courageous battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He is the loving husband of Susan Cantwell. John and Susan celebrated 54 years of marriage in August 2024.

John was born on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1946, to Edward T. and Anne (Cuff) Cantwell, of Girardville. Ed and Anne operated Cantwell’s Uptown saloon and restaurant on Main Street, and John and his older siblings, Jim and Anne, grew up at the center of life in what was then a vibrant coal town. John loved to tell tales of the colorful characters who visited Cantwell’s tavern and were his neighbors in Girardville.

John went to St. Joseph’s Elementary School and graduated from Immaculate Heart High School in 1964. He served as an MP in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968. Following his honorable discharge, he attended LaSalle University, graduating with a degree in business administration in 1971.

John met the love of his life, Susan Roberts, at Reichwein’s swimming pool in 1968 and they began dating immediately. They were married two years later in the United Methodist Church in Girardville but settled down for their first year of marriage in Philadelphia while John finished college.

John and Suz, as John called her, moved to Pittsburgh when John joined IBM Corp. as a salesman. They soon returned to Schuylkill County when John became a founding partner of the Regional Development Corporation (ReDCo), providing management services to the county. John worked at ReDCo for over a quarter century, retiring as chief operating officer.

John and Suz settled down in Pottsville in 1974, where they raised their two sons, John Jr., 51, and Jeremy, 47. John Jr. is an attorney with the Commonwealth’s Office of General Counsel, and Jeremy is an underwriting supervisor with Risk Partners, Inc. Both sons live in Lancaster.

John's great joys included traveling the world with Suz; vacationing in Stone Harbor, NJ; and wintering in Bonita Springs, FL, where they have a second home. John adored spending time as "Pop" with his granddaughters Brighid, 23, Tierney, 23, and Rory, 21.

John was an avid golfer and shot a hole-in-one in 2020 at Fairview Golf Course in Lebanon shortly after the course reopened after the Covid pandemic. He liked playing cards with his many friends, some of whom he grew up with in Girardville. John and Suz were longtime members of St. John The Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Pottsville before they moved to Mt. Joy.

John is predeceased by his parents, Ed and Anne, brother, Jim, and sister, Anne (Malarkey). In addition to his wife, sons, and grandchildren, John is survived by his in-laws Marian Cantwell of Reston, VA; Gerald and Elizabeth Nesvold of Pitman; Rex Roberts of Orwigsburg; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Private services and interment will be held at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Annville. Contributions in John’s memory may be sent to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation at pulmonaryfibrosis.org.