Paul William (“Skip”) Cannon, a chemical engineer and longtime resident of Rochester, NY, died on December 23 at the age of 97. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Joan Sergi Cannon, children John (Laurie) Cannon, Pamela (John) Pilgrim, Kristine (David) Penrose; grandchildren John (Aileen) Pilgrim, Rachel (Casey) Hust, Claire (Nicholas) Burdett, Matthew Pilgrim, Maddison (Drew) Kucera, Nathan (Moriah) Cannon, Lindsay Penrose, Mitchell Pilgrim, Brian Cannon, and Brandon Penrose; and great grandchildren Eliza, Esther, and Royal Hust and Shiloh Burdett. He was predeceased by his son Paul William (“Bill”) Cannon, and his sisters and brothers, Gerard, Mary, Alice, Gert, and Tom.

Paul’s life story will be shared during his visitation on January 2nd from 3-7pm at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Charles Borromeo Church, on Saturday, January 3rd at 11:30am. Interment will follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery on Lake Avenue.

Paul was born on September 15, 1928 in Pittsburgh PA to Marie (Hartman) and James Cannon. He was the youngest of six children, and all the rest of his siblings were much older than him. His oldest brother Gerard was like a father to him, since his own father died when he was 2 years old. His older sisters, Mary, Alice, and Gert were like mothers to him. He grew up during the great depression, and times were hard, so his sisters went to work to help support the family. Sadly, Gerard died of ulcerative colitis when Paul was just 16. Soon afterward, Paul discovered that he too had the condition, which he lived with off and on for many years.

Paul lived in Pittsburgh all his young life and was always an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He attended Catholic schools all the way through and graduated from North Catholic High School in 1946. He was very fond of his alma mater. After high school, he was employed by Vitarelli Studio as a darkroom technician, and then Deacon Studio as a portrait photographer, after which he started his own portrait studio. Before long, he decided to go back to school and pursue his degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating from there in 1953.

During his college years, he met Joan Sergi, who was attending Carnegie Mellon University and majoring in Home Economics. They married in July 1953 and moved to Rochester NY where Paul had got a job at Eastman Kodak Company. He worked for Kodak in various capacities for 33 years until his early retirement in 1986 at age 58. Paul and Joan had four children: Bill, John, Pam, and Kris. Bill was born with a heart defect which required open heart surgery when he was five years old. They took Bill to the Mayo Clinic and had to leave baby John with Joan’s sister and family in Pittsburgh for three months. It was a difficult time. (Bill later died of heart complications at age 35, which was always a great sorrow for Paul and Joan.) Just before Kris was born, they had a house built at 69 Sherri Ann Lane, with Paul closely monitoring every detail during and after the construction, and they have been living in their beloved home for almost 60 years.

Paul was always a leader and a great social activist, writing many letters to the editor, even picketing if he thought something was unjust. He was very involved in the community; most notably he served for 7 years on the Greece School Board, with 2 of those years as the president of the school board. While he was president, he traveled to Washington DC and met with President Ronald Reagan to receive the Education Department’s National Secondary School Recognition Program Award, given to only 202 public high schools in the US which had demonstrated exemplary achievement in improving education. He also coached little league, was on the church council, and was active in the republican party.

Paul believed in the value of hard work, and one way he taught that to his children was by having a large family garden, which the children would all help cultivate. Each one had their job: one would dig the hole, the next would drop the corn kernel into the hole, another would cover it with soil, and the fourth one would tamp it down. After his retirement, Paul actually didn’t stop working but filled his hours with volunteer work: visiting the hospitalized and homebound from St. Charles Borromeo Church, helping the elderly with their taxes and financial planning, and teaching religious education classes to students from St. Lawrence Church. In his final years, when he himself was homebound, he was fittingly repaid by having someone else visit weekly and bringing communion to him, just as he had done for so many others over the years.

Paul also believed in the value of family, and he enjoyed going on nice vacations with his family to places like the Outer Banks, Williamsburg, and Disney World. A favorite family memory is of the Polynesian Luau at Disney World, when Paul was chosen from the audience to dress as a ballerina in a tutu with his hairy legs sticking out below! He also made the effort to keep in touch with his extended family – he organized a couple of Cannon family reunions in Pittsburgh with all his siblings, nieces, nephews, and their children. After receiving a digital camera for his 75th birthday, Paul enjoyed taking annual portraits of each of his grandchildren. He also treated the children and grandchildren to a week-long Disney Cruise – not once but twice – in March 2003 (to celebrate their 50th anniversary), and again in April 2008 (to celebrate his 80th birthday). Most of the time, he was frugal, but on vacations he didn’t pinch pennies, and the entire family really benefitted from and appreciated his generosity.

Unfortunately, as he grew older, Paul developed glaucoma and gradually lost his eyesight and could not continue doing photography and computer work. After a minor car accident in 2019, he stopped driving and became more dependent on others. The family stepped in to help, hiring nursing students to help with meals and daily tasks a few evenings a week. Gradually the needs grew, and others were hired to help throughout each day. We are so thankful for these helpers who have become like family and have helped Paul and Joan stay in their own home until death. One of the nursing students who was hired to help Paul, was recently engaged to his grandson, and Paul was so happy that he was instrumental in bringing them together!

Paul Cannon will be remembered for his generosity, love of family, leadership, hard work, and determination. He will be greatly missed by his family, who loved him very much.

This poem was given to him by his daughter Pam on Father’s Day:
You didn’t just lead, you walked by my side,
With quiet strength and endless pride.
When storms would come and doubts would stay,
You gently helped me find my way.
You offered wisdom, firm yet kind,
A steady voice, a thoughtful mind.
When I stumbled, you stood tall,
Your faith in me, it said it all.
More than words, your love was shown
In all the ways you helped me grow.
Support so deep, encouragement true –
The world feels safer because of you.
So on this day, I hope you see,
The gift you’ve been to my life and me.
Happy Father’s Day – with all my heart.
From your biggest fan, right from the start.