Randall Cantrell

Donor Hero

“My husband Randy was a compassionate and devoted family man. He was the backbone of our family and the glue that held us together,” shared Karen, wife of donor hero Randall. 

“We were married for 32 years until his passing. He was a dedicated father to our five children: Randall, Amanda, Sean, Joshua and Jeremy, and a devoted ‘papa’ to our eight grandbabies. They were his pride and joy, and he loved spending time with them. Holidays were his favorite time because all his family would be together. Randy was very hands-on and taught all the kids how to fish, hunt, fix cars and build things around the house. He never missed a chance to teach someone something that could benefit them in the future. 

When I met Randy in 1990, he was the maintenance director of a nursing facility, a role in which he took great pride. He loved getting to know the residents there; that’s where he first learned about the organ, eye and tissue registry. Following the birth of our youngest son in 1994, we discussed donation and Randy expressed his desire to donate his organs and tissues to potentially save lives if anything were to happen to him. He emphasized the importance of being a registered donor, noting that one person could help a blind person see or provide tissues for science to advance research. He also consistently stressed the importance of donating blood and helping people whenever you could. Now, our whole family are registered organ donors. When they get older, our grandchildren will know that their grandfather was an organ and tissue donor. His legacy is that even in death, he was able to make a difference and help someone. He gave us a lot of great memories to cherish, and he will live on through all of us who loved him.”