Colonel (Ret) Thomas John Cannava, 73, passed away on Oct. 4, 2019 in Fort Smith, Arkansas of Alzheimer’s Disease. He was the owner of Bradford & Udouj Realtors LLC. Tom was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 13, 1946, to the now deceased John and Grace Cannava who instilled in him a hard work ethic.
Also, preceded in death, a sister, Grace Everson; and brother, Tony Cannava. He also survived the death of his beloved dogs, Cindy, Krissy, Mandy, Duke, Jet, Heidi, Brandy, Ginger, Beau, Bear, Fritz, and Buster.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 51 years, Margaret; and daughter, Rachel (Andy) Brown of Fort Smith; two granddaughters, Maggie Rae and Landy Louise Brown; two sisters, Tina (Ken) Hare and Bonnie (John) West of Cincinnati, Ohio; and a brother, Tim (Lisa) Cannava of Loveland, Ohio; and several nieces and nephews. Also surviving two dogs, Buster II and Cissy.
Upon graduation from The Ohio State University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science and receiving a commission through ROTC, Tom served extensively in Field Artillery troop leadership assignments in the Continental United States, Vietnam and Germany. They include Forward Observer, Fire Support Officer and Battery Executive Officer in Vietnam, commanded two Firing Batteries; Battalion Operations Officer, Battalion Executive Officer, and then in 1985 commanded the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery in Schweinfurt, Germany. Tom also had two tours in the Pentagon. Colonel Cannava served as the Deputy Commander of III Corp Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and commanded Fort Chaffee, Arkansas until his retirement in June 1994.
His military schooling includes the Field Artillery Basic and Advanced Courses, the U. S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the National War College. He also holds a Master of Arts Degree in Business Management from Webster University.
Tom’s military awards include the Silver Star, Defense Superior Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters (one for valor), Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medical with six Oak Leaf Clusters (one for valor), Army Commendation Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters (two for valor), and the Vietnam Cross with Bronze Star.
Tom was an honest, straight forward, principled leader who believed in “the harder right versus the easier wrong”. He loved animals (except cats) and was suspicious of anyone who did not, and, without second thought, shared his food and ice cream with his dogs.
A special thank you to Baptist Health Senior Life and Heart of Hospice for the wonderful care he received from the Dr. Hudefi, Brittany Clark, Bob Campbell, and other nursing staff and aides. You are always in our thoughts and prayers for your compassionate care to Tom and our family.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association or to Wounded Warrior Project.
Visitation will be at Edwards Funeral Home, Wednesday, from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Burial will be with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.
To leave an online memory, visit www.edwardsfuneralhome.com
