Bonham, Texas -- Paul Cardwell, Jr. was born April 26,  1933 and died at his home in Bonham on March 31, 2020, after a short  illness diagnosed as cancer. His wife, Gladys, was with him as well as the hospice nurses.  He chose to donate his body for medical education and  research through the Willed Body Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.  The cremated remains have been returned to the family and placed in an urn and will be buried at Fairview Cemetery in Denison, Texas, in a plot next to his mother and father. 

There will be a graveside service and burial on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 at 1;00 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery, 1501 Hwy. 91 North, Denison, Texas. His family would be honored  for anyone to attend.

Because of not being able to have services in the church, his Memorial Service was postponed until  July 10, 2021. It was held at Casa Emanu-El United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, where he and Gladys had attended regularly on Sundays until six weeks before his death.

Paul was the son of the Rev. Paul O. Cardwell and Grace Cardwell.  He grew up in Dallas, graduated from Sunset High School, Southern Methodist University  and continued at the graduate level at Perkins School of Theology at SMU. Afterwards he was educational director in Methodist churches for several years, then recreation director for City of Mesquite, museum model builder in Dallas and in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. 

In 1977 he and his family moved to Bonham and he owned and operated Cardwell's Books & Hobbies on the north side of the square in downtown Bonham until the mid 1990s,  He was the author of America's Camping Book in the 1960s and the revised edition later.  He designed role-playing board games, wrote articles and book reviews which were published.

Music was an important part of his life. He played trombone since junior high school, and was in the band  in high school and at SMU. He also played guitar, recorder and fife from back in the 1950s and 1960s. He continued playing the trombone every Sunday at Casa Emanu-El United Methodist Church in Dallas.  He played every summer in the Paris (TX) Municipal Band for the last 25 years. He was a member of the Fannin County Community Band and the Bonham Community Band for many years, and enjoyed playing with the groups.

Paul was predeceased by his parents, his sister and brother-in-law, Jean Clifford and Martin L. Clifford, as well as all of his aunts, uncles  and close cousins. He is survived by his wife, Gladys Cardwell, who still resides at the home in Bonham. They were married for 62 1/2 years when he passed away. He is also survived by his son, Paul Cardwell III, his daughter, Diana Gantt, his son-in-law, Jerry Gantt, his grandchildren, John Paul Harrison, Michael Harrison, David Gantt, Darrell Gantt, Eric Gantt and Amanda Gantt, and his nephew, Marty Cliffird, his nieces, Debra Schrunk and Nancy Thompson, and their families.