William Ignatius Cannon

William I. Cannon, “Will” (or Billy, as he was affectionately known by his siblings & Irish/English family) died peacefully at his home in Boone, NC on October 16th with his loving wife by his side. Will was 73. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May and courageously went through treatments for the illness.

Will was born in County Donegal, Ireland on September 5th, 1942 on the family farm, Rock Hill, to Danny and Alice (Lafferty) Cannon. He attended St. Joseph's Mark Cross Junior Seminary from 1957 - 1962 and St. John's Seminary from from 1962 - 1968 in England and then served the Lord as a Priest in the Archdioceses of Southwark in England from 1968 through 1994. Will continued his pastoral care of all those whose lives he deeply touched here in America, especially as co-founder of Rock Hill Plantation House in Stafford, where he officiated over 650 weddings just in the 10 years he and his wife owned Rock Hill.He is survived by his wife, Jo Anne Webster Cannon; son, Kieran Cannon, daughter, Bryony Renouf (Joe) Mager of Boone; sons, Neil Renouf of Richmond, and Nathaniel (Brandi) Renouf of Stafford; and his ‘darlin’ little granddaughters, Olive & Emmylou Mager of Boone, who will miss their Papa. Billy’s beloved siblings include his twin brother, Father Paddy Cannon; sisters, Maeve (Tom) Conlin of England, and Peggy Cannon-Callahan of CA; sister in law, Carole (Stephen) Kibner; brother in law, Ted (Linda) Webster; and step-grandchildren Cora and Vincent Haney, and Brooke Gardner; his cousins, Catherine (Jack) Plake, Margaret (David) Luck, and his other dear cousins both here in the States and ‘across the pond’. Will loved his nephews, Donimic (Jane) Conlin; Damian (Laura) Conlin, and nieces, Isobel Conlin, Katrina (Rob) Williams, Kara (Frankie) Cecchinelli. Will was loved and will be remembered for his kindness and deep compassion to all; his ability to always see the good in others, as well as his quick Irish wit and humor. There was always time for a funny story or a joke or two to be shared . . . always. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated for him by Father Kevin Downey and Father Paddy Cannon at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Triangle, Virginia on Thursday, October 22nd at 11:30, with burial to follow in Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, VA. A visitation Wake will take place 2 hours prior to the service from 9:30 to 11:30am. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Caldwell Hospice in the High Country at www.caldwellhospice.org