Oliver Michael Cannon

was surrounded by beloved family and close friends at John Knox Village Hospice Trust Bridge

in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Michael was born on February 22, 1937 in Long Branch, New Jersey to parents Olga G Piper

Cannon Hertel and Noble Arthur De Tarr. Although Noble was his biological father, Michael

considered John Michael Cannon, to be his true “Dad” and changed his name to carry on

the Cannon legacy. Michael has two sisters: Sandra Burroughs who currently lives in Boca

Grande Fla, and his late sister Anne Fairbanks.

Michael received a BS degree in Business and Marketing from Florida State University, where

he was also a member of the FSU tennis team. Throughout his life, he worked as a Methods

Analyst for Travelers Insurance Co. in Hartford CT and as a Stockbroker at Merrill Lynch;

Michael also made his mark in Highlands, NC as a Real Estate Developer and Builder of

commercial and residential homes, aided by sons Jon, Marc, and Scott. He owned and

managed the shopping center Oak Square, and opened his own clothing business, Jeans

South Inc with locations in Highlands, NC and Ft Lauderdale, Fla, where his children would also

work. Additionally Michael was also a member of Macon County NC Board of Equalization and

Reviews and a member of NASD Board of Arbitrators.

He met his first wife, stage actress Sandra McDavid Williams, in 1958 when she co starred in

the play "Bus Stop" with Burt (Buddy) Reynolds in Ft. Lauderdale Fla. They married in 1959,

Mike flaunting, with much satisfaction, that he "finally got one away from Burt!"

Michael became "Dad" to Sandra's 1 year old son Scott, and they had 3 other children together:

Jon, Marc, and Lisa. Michael and Sandra would start Jeans South Inc together, which had a

successful 14 year run. Sandra and Michael divorced amicably after 14 years of marriage.

In 1973, Michael married Patricia Ann Scholtens, with whom he had 2 children, Kelly and David.

Mike and Patti partnered up in the already established Jeans South, Inc. in Ft. Lauderdale to

open a 2nd location in Highlands, N.C., where they owned a summer home. Patti, who was

devoted to the Lord, Led Michael to him as well. Mike was a hard working, God faring, family

loving ,selfless, kind hearted man with a legacy of love and God's devotion.

Mike had an incredible joy for life, as he loved traveling on many cruises with Patti.Michael

Cannon was a man larger than life and poured his everything into creating a life of love and

bestowing now, a legacy of love. He was a brilliant entrepreneur who later, after coming to

Christ, yielded his earnings and winnings to the Lord's purposes and loved generously. Along

with his late wife Patricia Scholtens, he invested in the Gospel by endowing their global

community. Jeans South provided some of the first uniforms for Westminster Academy where

several of his children and grandchildren attended and graduated. Along with Patti, he became

an Evangelism Explosion trainer through Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, where he attended

faithfully with Patti, David, Kelly, Jaden, Jesse, and Julis and thus was a part of influencing

thousands to come to Christ. He was a man of deep waters, prayer, and scriptures, often

seeking wisdom and providing comfort at nursing homes and hospitals with his sermons and

singing. Michael had an incredible voice, one which he curated and trained, and ode to the

voices of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, whom he loved and studied. Winning several awards,

accolades, and even cutting two albums, Michael, "The Performer" could bellow any song,

change the atmosphere,bring angels to a room, tears to your eyes and heaven's sweet

presence with his heart and soul. He was a constant, a character and undeterred to share his

faith.

After the passing of his wife Patti in 2017, Michael was left devastated and seeking the

closeness of family, leading his son Marc, wife Diana and their son Caleb to move to Highlands

& help with his business ventures. After a late night epiphany from God, He also urged his

eldest daughter Lisa, her husband Bruce, and his grandkids Brandon and Brooke Bird to move

to Highlands in 2018, where he very generously built them a beautiful home, the home that

"Daddio built."

Upon arriving in NC and settling into our new home, we threw a small party in honor of the man

of the hour. We called it the "Made in Oregon'' party as we bought and traveled 2600 miles with

the gifts all the way from Oregon. We could never fully express our gratitude, but we intended

to shower him with gifts and love to show our true appreciation. We all sat together at the long

table: The Bird family and the Cannon family reunited for the first time in years. Michael was the

picture of childish joy as he eyed the vibrantly blue llama wrapped gifts in front of him. He tore

apart the paper quickly like a kid on Christmas morning, pulling out a small cedar box engraved

with the words "Cannon 2018". He beamed as he admired the box and the other contents of the

package: a set of two brandy glasses and faux ice cubes and tongs. He was elated as the next

gift was handed to him and he said, "ooh another one?" This one containing a brandy decanter

with matching glasses, along with a tall bottle of Laird's Applejack Brandy that my brother Jon

had claimed was his favorite. He smiled brightly, totally in his element, as he recounted the

history of Laird's Applejack brandy to us. I could listen to him talk about anything: I wanted to

know all the little details of his life that I missed out on. They may be small, but these are the

memories I will cherish forever.

Parties this year have been difficult to navigate due to the coronavirus: having to social

distance, wear masks, sit outside, and so on. But I felt we needed to do something; parties are

our thing; the halloween decorations go up on the first of September, and the house is

transformed into a colorful and festive sanctuary. The tough year and health issues Michael

had gone through made me more determined than ever to make it a fun night for everyone.

We set up the chairs in a large circle, six feet apart, around the crackling fire. Bruce had moved

the firepit from the backyard to the front to accommodate Michael's newly limited mobility , and

guided him to the closet chair from his car. A chill was in the air, winter was approaching early,

and I desperately wished we could celebrate in the warmth of the house. As it was, Michael

was bundled head to toe in a blanket, hat and scarf. Only his eyes peeked out of his mound of

clothes. He asked for hot cocoa, and I cursed myself for forgetting to get his favorite drink. He

had to settle for hot tea that night, but rest assured the next time we visited him he received a

big box of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows.

Once everyone arrived we served an appetizer of hot spinach artichoke dip with chips for each

family, and later individually wrapped loaves of chocolate chip pumpkin bread. Shortly after the

dip, Michael was ready for dessert. "Do you have any dessert?" He asked eagerly. "Anything

with chocolate?" He was a lover of all things chocolate, and truthfully I think he was a little

disappointed by the pumpkins bread's meager amount of it. The rest of us talked as Michael sat

quietly, absorbing the surroundings of Halloween decorations, colorful lights of orange, purple,

green and yellow as he listened to the chatter. He did not seem afraid or alone: he seemed to

be watching us, his children, reflecting on the past and present wistfully. He was enveloped in

love and laughter, warm despite the crisp air of the night. I wished I could peek inside his

thoughts and know what he needed. He was right there in front of me and yet he wasn't. He

was a silent spirit in the vivid glow of lights.

Family meant everything to Michael, and throughout the years his home as well would be a

place of gathering, joy and togetherness. He had a naturally charismatic air that attracted those

around him. Michael's grandson Alexander and wife Heather and their 3 beautiful red haired

daughters, Kylie, Olivia Patti and Sadie also lived nearby and came to visit. Michael loved his

little great grand girls, as well as Michaels grand daughter Sara. In previous years Jon and his

wife Susie and daughter Jennifer lived in Highlands and came back to visit with their other sons,

Michael and Jordan. Jennifer Cooper, Michael's granddaughter who now lives in England, also

visited her Grandpa Mike with her husband Tom and 3 kids, Caleb, Isla Grace, and Liberty

Rose. Michael loved all of his family and shared a lot of love and joy with them.

Love reentered Michael's life in the form of a lovely Christian woman, Kim Baker, whom he met

in Ft. Lauderdale Fla. Kim brought back the sparkle into his eyes; He was walking on clouds as

they fell in love and proceeded to marry in March of 2019. Together, along with son Davy and

other family, they would create wonderful memories of biking, swimming, playing tennis, motor

biking, boating, playing backgammon and poker, with family and lifetime friends, as Mike always

loved a good bet and even better win! Mike also had an incredible love for tennis as his friends

and family called him "His Eminence" as he held "the court" due to his skill and efforts playing

tennis.

Kim was by Mike's side throughout. She was a joyful, uplifting presence in his life that he

desperately needed. She rekindled his spirit and strengthened his will. Though their time

together was short, their love transcends the barrier of life. During the last month of his life, she

along with various other family members would remain at his bedside for hours at a time, slowly

coaxing him back with touch, spoken word, prayer and song. Though he was somewhat

responsive, his body was too weak to fully return. God was ready for him.

As he left Highlands for the last time on Halloween morning, we greeted him in costume, which

got a grin and chuckle out of him. He said to me, "I need to do this (leave) quickly because this

is so hard," I knew he sensed that he would not return. We both had tears in our eyes as we

said our farewells; I tried to give him comfort and reassure him as I kissed his head, where I

realized later must've been where his large tumor was. I stroked his cheeks softly, held his

hand and said," Farewell until we meet again next year my Daddio", but my hopes were

beginning to wane as well. He was a comical vision, jammed in a luggage filled car, a plate of

marmalade bagels and pint of kilwins ice cream crowding his lap. He meant to make every

moment count, which meant honoring every craving that passed through his mind. I closed the

car door but reopened it a minute later, struck with the desire to take a photo. He smiled with

tears in his eyes, as photogenic as ever. That turned out to be the last picture I took of him.

His son Jon, who is a lot like Michael, admired Michaels faith, and walks in his footsteps. Jon

and his wife Susie who is also a kind, compassionate nurse were there to help throughout

Michael's surgery and hospital care in Fla. Kim and Susie helped the family to interpret the

medical jargon, which was much appreciated by the rest of us. He was visited by close friends,

Pastor Rob Pacienza and family. Kim, his wife, Kelly, his daughter, David, his son and

grandsons Jaden and Jesse he was surrounded by love until the end. He was sent off with one

of his favorite songs by Jaden "Fly me to the moon" by Frank Sinatra.

Michael had many friends who surrounded him with love, laughter and joy. He loved to tell funny

stories and always had a captive audience. His son Jon called him" Jolly Oly" as he never failed

to improve your mood with his wit, charm, love of life, generosity, humor, songs and gospel.

Michael's purpose driven Life statement, in his own words, was this: "The word that became

flesh will be my life. He will be my life, to put God above all. I will share his life with others, to

extend his life to others in words and deeds. I will share his word across the world to show other

men that God has shown me- to become Christ like. We were made by God and for God. Seek

God's approval, not mans. The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without the correct

purpose. You become effective by being selective. You weren't put on earth to be remembered,

you were put here to prepare for eternity."Here is a tribute to Michael from his son Jon called;

Ode to Oliver; I awoke to the news that my Dad, Oliver went home to Jesus. It's fitting that on

this special day I also awoke to a blanket of snow which made me think of this verse. "Come

now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as

white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. Isaiah 1:18.

Dad loved to tell people about Jesus. I witnessed him turning a myriad of people's encounters

into an opportunity to share the good news of God's love for us demonstrated in Jesus. But God

demonstrates his own love for us demonstrated in Jesus. But God demonstrates his own love

for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8. Dad was the wisest

man I knew... The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins soul. Proverbs

11:30. Dad was born on 2-22-37. Being a numbers guy that he was and I am; a few years ago I

began seeing the significance of numbers. Call me crazy, but its hard to ignore when

considering my Dads life and this verse in James. You see, his faith and his actions worked

together. His actions made his faith complete. James 2:22. I close with this verse because I

can see dad walking with Jesus by this river all healed and whole and I know that his witness

and testimony will live on in us, the fruit of his faith. Down the middle of the great street of the

city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit

every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Revelations 22:2.

Eternally grateful, your loving son, Johnathan

Here is a poem my son Brandon Bird wrote: Oliver Michael Cannon wasn't just a man of God,

but a kind, gentle soul. He reminds me of when you open the door and a ray of sunlight hits you

and you feel its warmth, like him. His smile is so bright that I always saw Christ in him, His aura

radiating outwards. Truly an individual we will not forget anytime soon. Rest in Peace, Grandpa

Mike. Love, Brandon

Here is a nice note written by my husband, Bruce Bird: Michael is no longer suffering, but

starting a beautiful journey to Glory. He will be greatly missed, but never forgotten. Sadness will

turn to great memories eventually, but today we are all very sad. Rest in Peace Mike.

Michael is survived by his sister Sandra Burroughs and her husband Richard, wife Kim, Sons;

Scott, Jon, Marc, and David, daughters; Lisa and Kelly, Daughters in Law, Susie and Diana,

Marcia McCann (Cannon) Son in law Bruce Bird, 11 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and

several nieces and nephews and so many great longtime friends. Mike was respected and loved

by many and will be greatly missed.

Please join us for Oliver Michael Cannons Celebration of Life at Coral Ridge Presbyterian

Church at 11;00 am, January 9th, 2020 at 5555 N. Federal Highway, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

33308. For those of you that cannot attend in person, there will be a livestream from the Church

website at the aforementioned date and time, which can be viewed at the following link:

(www.crpc.tv).

At the request of the family, please social distance and wear a mask. In lieu of flowers, please

send donations to: Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Sunrise Mission both in Fla. and the

Geriatric ward in Highlands-Eckerd living Center, in Highlands, NC

Please go online and share a memory of Michael at the following link,

www.KraeerFairchild.com and type in Oliver Michael Cannon into the "search now" bar and

then click on his picture to share a story of a memory of him.

Written by Lisa Cannon Bird, edited and written by Brooke Bird, Poem from Brandon Bird, and

Jon Cannon, and note from Bruce Bird with information from Kelly, Kim, and Sue Cannon,

Sandra Burroughs and reflections of " Uncle Mike" from Jennifer Harmelling.