Jay Allen Cantor passed away at home on April 28, 2019, surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Penny Palmer Cantor, sister Caryn Parmelee, nephew Chris Parmelee and daughter, Sierra Cantor, son-in-law Gary Neargarder, grandson Benjamin Neargarder and granddaughter Maile Neargarder.
Born in 1938 to Burt and Alfred Cantor, Jay spent his childhood in San Rafael and Bakersfield, California. A graduate of San Francisco State, he received his JD from University of California Hastings, School of Law. He started his law career with War on Poverty representing indigent population in the Bay Area. Jay opened his law practice in Cotati in late 1970, partnered with James Barrett in 1977, and they were joined by Anthony Wheeldin in the 1990s. He served as Cotati City Attorney in the mid-1970s. Additionally, he taught constitutional law for two decades at Empire Law School.
Jay was a devoted fan of his grandchildren and could be found most weekends at their many sporting events. One of the original members of Parkpoint Health Club, Jay was deeply involved in the tight-knit handball community and a dedicated consumer of chocolate-chip muffins. He and a group of closest friends read and discussed hundreds of books and shared nourishing conversation and meals over the 35 years they met as a bookclub. After retirement he became an award-winning amateur winemaker.
Jay spent several months of the year at his second home, a beach property on the Big Island of Hawaii, where he hiked, sailed and was an avid tropical gardener. Over the past decade, Jay became involved with a public trail crew that cleared and maintained the indigenous King Trail as a way to connect with local friends and honor his appreciation of Hawaiian history and culture.
He is fondly remembered for his quick wit, fierce intellect, deep love of books, devotion to his family and will always be beloved by his many friends and family.
If any of his friends have anecdotes about Jay that they’d like to share, or to hear about a future memorial, please feel free to email Sierra at [email protected].
