Dr. Ronald John Cantwell M.D.

Ronald John Cantwell, M.D. of Atlanta, Georgia died at home, surrounded by his family on September 9, 2024. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and dedicated physician. Dr. Cantwell is survived by his wife of 69 years, Patricia, and his five children, Shirley Davis (Michael), Christopher Cantwell, Anne-Maree Cantwell (James Milojkovic), Ross Cantwell (Roxie O’Neil), and Susan O’Farrell (Hugh) and his seven grandchildren Emily Cantwell, Kevin Davis, Olivia Cantwell, Lauren Davis, Connor O’Farrell, Logan O’Farrell and Kylie O’Farrell.

Dr. Cantwell was born in Auckland, New Zealand to Albert and Marie Cantwell in August of 1926. He grew up in New Zealand and attended medical school at the University of Otago, in Dunedin. He subsequently served with the New Zealand Armed Forces in a M.A.S.H. unit in Korea and met the love of his life, Patricia, on a flight while returning home to New Zealand from Korea. Dr. Cantwell did post-graduate medical training in England where he and Patricia married in London in 1955. Together, they returned to New Zealand where they raised their children. In 1968, Dr. Cantwell and his family immigrated to the United States to gain additional training at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Cantwell subsequently became a Professor of Medicine at the Mailman Center for Child Development at the University of Miami, Florida.

Dr. Cantwell’s professional expertise was in the field of learning disabilities, and he was one of the first physicians to develop a comprehensive assessment for children to be screened for learning disabilities at an early age. He started a school for children with learning disabilities and was the President of the Learning Disabilities Association of Florida, as well as a member of the National Board for Children with Learning Disabilities. As part of his ongoing commitment in the field, Dr. Cantwell worked on developing online testing for learning disabilities well into his mid-eighties.

Dr. Cantwell was an avid sportsman and an excellent rugby player. He also enjoyed golf immensely, even though it sometimes did not love him back. We can say the same for his beloved Miami Hurricanes football team. He was a life-long gadget person, being one of the first people to ever own a Texas Instrument calculator in the 1970s and an Apple II computer with two floppy drives. He had a great sense of humor and loved telling puns and jokes, especially at family dinners. He will be missed dearly by all who knew him.

A funeral mass was held on Friday, September 13th and a private burial was held afterwards. Instead of flowers, donations may be made to Learning Disabilities Association of Florida. https://lda-florida.org/