Obituary of Joseph Donald Concannon

It is with great sadness we announce Con's passing, peacefully, on September 6, 2016, in his 91st year, in London, Ontario. Loving father of Stephen, Malcolm (Lois), and Gillian Concannon (Alok). Indomitable Grandpa Con to Amanda, Mitchell, Logan, Tej, Dane and Craig. Brother of Terry. Predeceased by his dear wife Helen (Craig), sister, Joan, brother, Desmond and his parents, Peter and Helen. Con was a Naval Engineer in the British Merchant Navy and long standing Millwright with the Ford Motor Company. He found endless pleasure in his decade at sea, camping, and his garden, but his greatest joy was the solidarity and love of his family. There will be a memorial service on Thursday, September 15, 1-3 pm at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery reception chapel, followed by a private family interment then an informal gathering, 4-6pm at Blake’s, 300 King Street, 2nd Floor. We will always carry your memory in our hearts. Joseph Concannon, “Con”, was born in Liverpool, England and was the eldest of 3 siblings, Des, Joan and Terry. Con grew up in Liverpool, England, where he experienced the Great Depression. Although old enough to serve in WWII, Con was not enlisted because he was in a reserved occupation as a Millwright/Naval Engineer. He served as an officer in the British Merchant Navy and his ship was principally involved in laying the transatlantic telephone cables for Cable and Wireless. During his 10 year naval term, he met the love of his life, Helen Craig, a Corporal in the British Army, while stationed in Singapore. Their love affair played itself out in formal attire on ship decks and broke Con’s engagement to another woman. Back on British soil, they were married with the intention to have many children. Childbirth eluded them until, after 6 years of trying, they adopted Stephen Paul. Malcolm and Gillian arrived in rapid succession - Helen always said Steve brought them. After a few small business enterprises in Liverpool, wishing to further their travel instincts and create the very best prospects for their family, Con and Helen immigrated to Canada in 1967. Con secured a Millwright position with Ford’s newly minted Talbotville plant. His family arrived in Montreal after a 10 day ship’s voyage, Helen had just given birth to Gillian 12 weeks earlier. They constructed a home inStanhope Crescent, London. Con was one of the first Talbotville employees entrusted to maintain and repair the robots used in innovative assembly methods which have now transformed manufacturing. He retired in 1989 after 25 years of service with the Ford Motor Company. In the 1970’s, Con sustained his love of travel by purchasing a camper trailer. Most spring, summer and early fall weekends, he took the family to local Ontario, New York and Michigan campgrounds. With a group of other families, Con founded the Forest City CB-ers Camping Club and secured membership in the National Campers and Hikers Association. This offered good friendships, excitement and adventure for kids and adults alike, not to mention several convoys with CB chatter on the highways. Con loved camping and only recently sold the travel trailer that sat for many years in his backyard. What his kids thought was just a tool storage area we only recently came to understand was an enduring memento of the happiest days of his life. In the late 1980’s, misfortune befell the family when Helen was diagnosed with Lupus. Con was a loving stalwart to her through various kinds of medical enquiryand treatment plans. He always maintained a personal set of pharmaceutical records for her. Con and Helen were chosen as one of the first candidates for in-home kidney dialysis and Helen often joked that his interest in her increased once she was attached to a machine. When she’d had enough of dialysis, Con supported her decision to pursue a kidney transplant, which is always a courageous decision but was a novel one at that time. Con nurtured and cared for Helen until her last day, when she passed suddenly in 1994, in her home, with him at her side. Upon retirement and as a widower, Con turned his attention to various home projects and more local travel with a truck camper. He took pleasure in day trips to local festivals, barbeques and holiday celebrations with his extended family in London and Toronto, investing in the stock market and listening to Luciano Pavarotti. He enjoyed the company of a few lovely women over the years but insisted there was only one love of his life and she was now gone. He moved off of his gigantic satellite dish and onto cable to enjoy news of the world and television. Con enjoyed the serenity of nature - gardening, lawn care, and bird watching. Occasionally he travelled to the UK to see family and his good friend, Derrick, or received visits from them in London. Into his 91st year, he lived a fiercely independent lifestyle at Stanhope, the family base for almost 50 years, which gave him great pride and contentment. Con was “Grandpa Con” to Amanda, Mitchell, Logan, Tej, Dane and Craig. Con was very proud of them and never missed sending them birthday and Christmas cards. Steve’s son, Mitchell, offered great support and friendship to Grandpa Con in his final years for which his dad, uncle and aunt will be eternally grateful. Con was an opinionated man of principal, high standards, compassion and responsibility. If you had the pleasure to get to know him you would enjoy his intellect, British accent, economy of words and wide interests. If you had the misfortune to cross or offend him, you were wittily stung and reparations were required. He inspired love, respect and deep admiration among his children and grandchildren. He leaves us with a void, sincere gratitude and many memories of his deep, familial, love. A tribute or memorial donation is a meaningful and hopeful way to honor someone special in your life while supporting the mission of the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy to discover effective treatment options and find a cure for the 20 million people in North America living with PN. We are grateful that you wish to donate to TFFPN in honor of in memory of a loved one. The fastest and easiest way to make your donation is to give online. https://www.foundationforpn.org/donate/