Shirley Ann Bannon

With grieving hearts we announce the sudden passing of Shirley Ann Bannon on June 23, 2026 at St. Joseph’s Health Center in Guelph. Shirley was predeceased by her parents, Alexander and Madeline Hanshaw (Macdonald), her husband Jeremiah and her beloved son Paul. She is survived by her siblings, Betty Gail Carlo (Nelson), Marilyn Greiten (Jack) and William Hanshaw (Linda), as well as her children Cheryl Ruediger (Edward), MaryAnn Pegelo (Wayen), Brian and Carolyn, and daughter-in-law Kim Bannon Evinsky (Joe). She was a devoted Grandma to Derek (Hana), Kristen, Jeremy (Lila), Matthew (Summer), Joanna, Christopher (Lindsey), Gregory (Amanda), Teresa (Peter), Kathryn (Ryan) and Benjamin, and rejoiced at the birth of each of her eleven great-grandchildren.

Shirley was born on February 20, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan and as an infant moved with her parents to Teeswater, where her father acquired a dairy. The family grew with the arrival of three more children and, as the oldest, Shirley grew up taking on more and more responsibilities, including helping her father with early morning milk deliveries. The years working at the dairy may account for Shirley’s life-long love of ice cream! As a young woman, Shirley loved to dance and it was at a dance in Grand Bend that she met Jerry Bannon, a handsome and well-dressed young man who was an excellent dancer. Jerry must have literally swept her off her feet and they were married soon after on May 1, 1954. In the following years they were blessed with five children and spent their life together focused on raising children in their small home. Times were sometimes challenging, but their love of family and their faith sustained them in whatever circumstances they found themselves in.

The four great loves of Shirley’s life were her family, her faith, her art and tennis. During her life she became a mother and best friend to not only her own children, but to those who married into her family and anyone who may have needed a sympathetic ear or warm embrace. She was a good listener and was always open to a conversation, even with total strangers. Shirley had a kind and generous heart, which may account for her wide circle of close friends, some of whom she remained close to from their early days in elementary school. We talk about establishing friendships by ‘meeting people halfway’- Shirley went further and accepted people as they were, faults and all. A quote found in her journal was, “Never look down on someone unless you are reaching to help them up”.

Shirley was strong in her Catholic faith and it formed the core of her identity. For many years she was a faithful member of Our Lady Immaculate church, being actively involved in the Catholic Women’s League and as a volunteer at the Vincent de Paul shop (which her family dubbed “Grandma’s store”). She led a prayerful life and on the day before she passed away she woke up and excitedly declared, “I just had a really good talk with God- really good talk!”.

After her children had grown and left home, Shirley was able to pursue her artistic passions. She loved to paint, with a particular love of flowers and gardens as subjects. She enjoyed the social aspects of doing her art and participated in numerous art shows, workshops and art clubs. Many of her family and friends were gifted some of her works, which she always chose with a particular person in mind. These have become cherished mementos, not only of her creative artistic talents, but of her friendship and love.

Shirley was a kind and gentle spirit, but she could be a ferocious competitor on the tennis court. She took great delight in trouncing opponents, many of whom (including her athletic son, Paul) were half her age. After she was relegated to the sidelines by a serious ankle injury, she nonetheless remained an avid fan of tennis and tennis traditions. She always looked forward to the next Grand Slam tournament and the inevitable post-mortems of the matches involving her favourite players. With Wimbledon coming up in the near future she was very much looking forward to not only the competition, but also to “Strawberries and Cream at Wimbledon”. She was all about multi-tasking!

Shirley loved her life, her family and her friends. She was thankful for her many blessings and even through the painful last years of her life she never missed an opportunity to express her appreciation and love of those around her for the care and compassion shown to her. She lived a long and fruitful life, but she left us too soon and will always be remembered with love.

The family wants to thank the residents and management of the Residences of St. Joseph’s for making Shirley’s life there one that she really loved and the staff of St. Joseph’s Health Center- Palliative Care for their kindness and compassionate care during the last few months of Shirley’s life. May God richly bless you all.

Resting at the Gilbert MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home, Dublin Chapel, 252 Dublin St N., Guelph, where the family will receive their friends on Monday, June 29, 2026 from 6 –9 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate 28 Norfolk St., Guelph on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. For those unable to attend, the funeral will be able to be viewed by joining the livestream link on the funeral home webpage. Interment, Marymount Cemetery, Guelph. A reception will follow in the Basilica of Our Lady Church Hall.

Condolences may be left online at www.gilbertmacintyreandson.com