Remembering John Gannon of Dungannon Farm

John Francis Gannon

John Francis Gannon passed away at his home in Centreville, Md. on October 15, 2019. He was 87. Born on July 17, 1932 in Centreville, Gannon was the son of the late Thomas Connolly Gannon and Katherine Nellie Connolly Gannon.

After graduation from Centreville High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1949. He served on the U.S.S. Casa Grande, a Casa Grande-class dock landing ship, until 1955. Retired at the end of World War II, the Casa Grande was recommissioned in November 1950 at the outbreak of the Korean War and was deployed throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean supporting humanitarian missions until it returned to its homeport of Norfolk, Va. in late 1953.

Gannon married his wife of 58 years, the former Catherine “Cathy” Kramer of Cambridge, Md., on November 3, 1955.  Following his discharge from the US Navy, John worked with his father as a carpenter and together they built many homes and barns in the Centreville area.

In 1959, Gannon opened Price & Gannon Hardware on Commerce Street in Centreville with Howard Price. Through the 1960’s, he was a member of the Goodwill Volunteer Fire Department. In 1970, John decided to leave the hardware business to do the job that he most loved, farming. He and his wife, Cathy, had purchased Dungannon Farm on the northern outskirts of Centreville in 1965. The Gannons began the grain business and eventually added a chicken house, sheep, cattle, horses and turkeys. The Gannons raised three children at Dungannon, all of whom have continued to support Queen Anne’s County agriculture.

Over the years, the animals left the farm and John expanded the grain farming and purchased a second farm. When Cathy retired from her nursing career, John decided to retire also and bought a second home in Virginia, where they lived until she passed in 2013. John decided to return to Centreville to be close to his family.

“The Gannons were great neighbors and always there to help, as farm neighbors tend to be,” recalled Jenny Rhodes, Queen Anne’s County farmer and longtime neighbor. “He tried many different things in agriculture and was not afraid to take risks.”

Rhodes reminisced about the days when the Gannons had sheep populating their pasture along Md. Rte. 213.

“Not many farmers raised sheep at that time; it was a bucolic reminder of days past to drive by those pastures,” Rhodes remarked.

John is survived by his three children: daughter, Catherine “Teri” Wood (Victor) and sons John “Jay” Connolly Gannon of and Thomas Kramer Gannon (Dottie), all of Centreville; grandchildren: Vicki Wood Dean (Brad); Joyce Wood; Connolly Gannon; Adam Gannon; Catherine Gannon; Dottie Alexander(Dale); Jennifer Gannon; great grandchildren: Bryan Hatch; Victor Dean; Barley Dean; and sister in law, Ann Davenport. He was predeceased by his wife Cathy, who died in 2013; daughter in law, Debbie Gannon; siblings Betty Woodford; Dottie Gohr and Thomas Gannon. Also, very special to him were his caretakers Vilese Tomlinson and Jennifer Linkins, who cared for him over the last year.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 from 1-3 pm at the Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A. in Centreville, MD where a service will begin at 3 pm. Burial will follow in Chesterfield Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Compass Regional Hospice, 160 Coursevall Drive, Centreville, MD 21617.