James Herschel Cannon's Obituary
James Herschel Cannon passed away January 19, 2016 after a good, long and happy life. He was 100 years old. He was born April 30, 1915 on a farm homesteaded by his parents near Winner, South Dakota. His parents were James Hardin Cannon and Winnie Belle Leffler Cannon. At age 4 his family moved to Loveland, Colorado. He attended schools there and graduated from Loveland High School.He worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC’s) in Rocky Mountain National Park after high school. His career began at Beowawe Airfield in Nevada and later involved various positions in the air traffic control field. He retired from the Oakland Airport control tower in 1969.He met Dorothy Bergerud, a school teacher, in Beowawe. They were married April 7, 1939 in Elko, Nevada. They had two children; Gail Dee and Terry James. After Dorothy passed away in 1990, he married Vena Lee Jacobson Cannon April 20, 1991.Throughout his life Jim enjoyed activities with his children and grandchildren. A highlight was traveling to the Holy Land. He also traveled throughout the U.S. in his RV first with Dorothy, and later with Vena Lee and liked spending winters in Palm Springs, CA. He also loved to work with wood projects and fixing anything needing repair. One of his favorite activities was driving his favorite car to visit family. He was known in the family as the Liverpool Rummy champion.He is survived by his wife, Vena Lee Cannon; daughter, Gail (Bob) Stivers; daughter-in-law, Diane Cannon; brother, Stanley Cannon; 6 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild. He is also survived by his wife’s children, Kathy (Everett) Snyder; Connie (Ken) Hendricks; JoLyn (Scott) Oliver; Diane (Mark) Ellsworth; Annette Cannon; Sandra Johnson; 19 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; son, Terry; brothers Jack and Philip.The family wishes to extend their gratitude to his senior volunteer, Tony, and his other volunteers. Also, Megan, Lexie and the caregivers from Hearts for Hospice.
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