John H. Shannon

On August 21, 2015 at 2:00 in the afternoon, two weeks before his 100th birthday, John H. Shannon died a peaceful death in his home on the southside of Jacksonville, Florida, surrounded by his loving family and the angels and saints who immediately ushered him into the welcoming presence of the Almighty. A lifelong Catholic and Defender of the Faith, Shannon led an exemplary Christian life, never failing to treat everyone he met with kindness, respect, and generosity. Shannon was a loyal member of Assumption Catholic Church for 55 years, and he was once featured in the St. Augustine Catholic magazine as "the world's oldest altar boy"; in recognition of his having served, in his eighties and nineties, thousands of morning Masses at Assumption. Born September 4, 1915 in Boca Grande, Florida, John Hubert Shannon was the eldest child of Hubert Matthew and Lena Durden Shannon. He grew up in Southport, North Carolina, and graduated in 1933 from Southport High School, where he was a basketball and track star. Shannon briefly attended High Point (NC) College before leaving to support his widowed mother and six younger siblings. A veteran of the second World War, Shannon went to work for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Wilmington, North Carolina, after the war and then married the love of his life, Willie Mae Mansfield on September 9, 1950. When the Coast Line decided to relocate to Jacksonville, Florida, in 1960, the couple moved their growing family, which eventually included five children, to the railroad's new headquarters in Jacksonville, in order for John to remain with the company, now known as CSX Railroad. John ended his distinguished 35-year career with the railroad in 1981 and then enjoyed a long, happy retirement. As a devoted and loving father, John Shannon had no betters, and his children benefited enormously from his inexhaustible supply of support, encouragement, humor, wisdom, unselfishness, and good example. A fine piano player with hundreds of standards in his repertoire, John loved to entertain family, friends, and parishioners in his retirement; yet his children fondly remember him as a younger man moonlighting with swing quartets at country club soirees in order to keep milk and cereal on the breakfast table. Of all the encomiums applicable to Shannon the most appropriate might be that he was a very happy man who loved life and lived it to the fullest because he knew what was important. "Daddy's treasures were the Faith and his family," said daughter Laura Shannon Smiley. John is survived by two daughters; Laura Shannon Smiley (Jeffrey) and Susan Shannon Klemmt (Lyle), three sons; Mike Shannon (Kathy), John M. Shannon (Janice) and Timothy P. Shannon (Carla), a brother Alfred Shannon; twelve grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. A vigil will be held at Assumption Catholic Church from 6:00PM until 8:00PM on Monday, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10AM on Tuesday. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of George H. Hewell and Son Funeral Home, 4140 University Boulevard, South Jacksonville, Florida 32216. hewellfuneralhomes.com.4140 University Blvd S Jacksonville, FL 32216 f: 904-739-81594747 Main St N Jacksonville, FL 32206 f: 904-353-0763