Donald Henry McGannon Jr.

Donald "Don" Henry McGannon Jr. was born in an Army hospital in Queens on May 22, 1944, to Donald Henry McGannon Sr. and Patricia Helen Burke "Mamie," both deceased. He has been well loved by his life partner and wife, Casey Brennan McGannon, for 46 years; his three children, Donald Henry McGannon III, Christine McGannon Sullivan and Jennifer Jude (Jason) Zakrzewski; also, his seven grandchildren: Joshua Christopher Sullivan (Kylie), Kelly Mame Sullivan, Henry Charles McGannon, Heidi Kathleen McGannon, Abigail Jude Zakrzewski, Mitchell Jason Zakrzewski and Nicholas Donald McGannon.

Don had been an English teacher, worked in broadcast sales, helped manage the family business, worked as a job coach at Sarah and Vista, and his final retirement career, was a school bus driver, which he loved.

He loved old cars, especially his old '63 TR-3B, an old Porsche, and two beautiful old motorcycles, one with a sidecar. He was partial to old trucks, too. Once a friend pulled into our driveway and thought we had company, and he had to tell her that no, they were all his.

He lived all over New England – New Canaan, Hingham, Boston, Southie and Chester. In 2000, a trip to Prince Edward Island had him hooked. He and Casey moved there in 2005, became Canadian citizens in 2010, eh? They returned to the US in 2016, when his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease was getting the better of him and then returned to Chester, and in 2020, settled in Old Saybrook. He lived out his days at The Robin’s Nest in Clinton, getting the best care anyone could ask for from staff.

Don also leaves 12 siblings: Dr. Mary McGannon Kollman (Bill), Kathleen Jenkins (Peter), Liz McGannon, Dr. P.J. Cowan (Cam), Sheila McGannon (Bob, deceased), Michael McGannon (Juliette), Terry McGannon (Rita Rust), John McGannon (Mary Ann Clark), Martha McGannon, David McGannon (Abby), Susan McGannon (Randy Yott), Patrick McGannon; many, many wonderful nieces and nephews; and so very many friends and neighbors all over the northeast and PEI.

A Celebration of his Life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at Robinson, Weymer & Wright Funeral Home , 34 Main Street, Centerbrook. Donations may be made in Don’s memory to Middlesex Hospice, 28 Crescent Street, Middletown CT 06457 or the Alzheimer’s Association/Connecticut Chapter, Blvd. 200 Executive Blvd., Suite 4B Southington CT 06489.

Please, always hug the ones you love. And tell jokes, play pranks on each other – he loved a good prank. He was so quick witted, never missed a beat.