Jo Marie Cannon
Greenville Herald Banner
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006
Jo Marie Cannon, 91, of Greenville formerly of Valley Station, Ky., entered into eternal life on Friday, Nov. 24, 2006. Her husband of 59 years, Elmer W. Cannon, preceded her in death in 2001. She is survived by two daughters, Barbara Lynn of Lubbock and Mary Watts of Greenville. Also surviving are two sons-in-law, Ira Lynn and Jack Watts; three granddaughters, Jennifer Jennings and husband Tim Jennings, Kimberly Lynn and Emily Watts; two great-grandchildren, Parker Jennings and Kayla Jennings and several nieces and nephews. She was also preceded in death by her parents, five sisters and four brothers.
A wonderful homemaker and seamstress, Jo Marie was born Jan. 10, 1915, to Dillard and Lula Carter Barrett in Celeste. She grew up in North Central Texas, where she lived with several of her brothers and sisters, her mother having died when Jo Marie was 10.
She worked at several jobs, but her dream was to marry and have a family. The dream became a reality when, on June 6, 1942, she married Elmer Cannon and finally had a home and eventually a family of her own.
Jo Marie never met a person she didn’t like, all who knew her loved her in return. She genuinely cared about everyone she knew and devoted her life to helping others. She was very gentle but had a strong will and character.
She never got a driver’s license but didn’t hesitate to drive a few blocks in her neighborhood to help someone in need. She was well known in her community as a diligent worker in collecting funds for March of Dimes and the Cancer Fund. Jo Marie was a devout Christian and member of the Valley Station Church of Christ in Kentucky and the Southside Church of Christ in Greenville. She and Elmer were among the first Christians who met together and established the Valley Station congregation.
For 47 years they labored with the Valley Station congregation where Jo Marie was well known as a wonderful Bible class teacher until well up in years. Her home was known for her hospitality. Her compassion for others was evident by her endless visits with the sick and elderly and taking food to them. (She was especially noted for her lemon icebox pies.) Jo Marie loved to receive and send greeting cards and often made and wrote them herself with painstaking care.
Besides the physical aid and comfort Jo Marie provided to many throughout the years, she was often by their side as they passed from this life. Her constant companion was her Bible, which she read and studied into the wee hours of countless nights. Her influence for the Lord has touched and encouraged many lives, especially her daughters’.
Visitation is scheduled from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. today at Coker-Mathews Funeral Home in Greenville. Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, 2006, at the funeral home chapel, with Gordon Grammer officiating. Burial is at Memoryland in Greenville. Deacons of the Southside Church of Christ in Greenville will serve as pallbearers.
Submitted by Elaine Nall Bay
