Mr. Samuel Ray Cantrell

Mr. Samuel Ray Cantrell, age 80, of Shelbyville, passed away Saturday, February 28, 2026.

Funeral services will be Friday, March 6, 2026 at Gowen-Smith Chapel in Shelbyville. Brother Jimmy Gray will be officiating.

Visitation will be from 2 PM until service time Friday at the funeral home.

Samuel was born June 30, 1945 in Lewisburg, TN to the late Lawrence Overton Cantrell and Mary Frances Cantrell. He worked as an automotive mechanic for Sharp Motor Company in Lewisburg. Also in his younger days, he and friends would build and race cars. Over the years he held various jobs, including Uniroyal, Sequatchie Concrete Service, automotive mechanic at a full-service gas station on the corner of Madison Street and Derry Street, worked at Heil Quaker in Lewisburg. He worked for Pan American Electric out of Nashville, wired buildings for Nissan in Smyrna, worked at a water treatment plant in Donelson, as well as various jobs in and around the Nashville area. He completed ABC school training out of Nashville to advance his career as an electrician.

After retirement, Ray purchased an RV for full time RV life for himself and his wife Linda. They traveled the southern states, and visited a lot of places while enjoying retirement. When not enjoying retirement, or traveling abroad, Ray like to tinker with small engine repairs, repairing lawn mowers to keep his skills up and to keep busy.

Due to health reasons, Ray and Linda parked their RV at Rambo RV in Shelbyville for 9 years and lived out the rest of their days there to be close to family.

After years of declining health, Ray succumbed to his illness on February 28, 2026, at Life Care Center of Tullahoma.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife Linda, and a brother, Edward Cantrell.

He is survived by his children; David Cantrell, Wyanne Tapley, and Samantha Clark, all of Bedford County; eight grandchildren, and fourteen great grandchildren, also all of Bedford County. Two brothers, Larry Cantrell and Gary Cantrell, both of Lewisburg, and two sisters, Mary Alyce Dean and Alyce Ann Woodward, both of Lewisburg.