Clarence H. Cannon
May 15, 1933 ~ May 2, 2016
Resided in:
Candler, NC
Asheville Butterfly Trail
Clarence H. Cannon, 82, of Candler, completed his last and most important trip, home to heaven, on May 2, 2016. He left this earth and entered the presence of the King of Kings while surrounded by his family as they prayed, an end most fitting for a man of lifelong devotion to his Lord, his country, and his family.
Clarence, a native of Buncombe County is survived by a close and loving family: his wife of nearly 50 years, Bernice; one brother Ralph (Evelyn); three children John (Kaye), Lesley, and Eric (Jane), and 10 grandchildren, Sierra, Elijah, Ainsley, Alton, Ella, Graham, Sydney, Claire, Riley, and Rhett. He is preceded in death by his parents, Alton L. Cannon and Leona B. Cannon.
Clarence proudly served his country during the Korean War and spent his career working alongside his father and his brother with Asheville Packing Company, Inc. He was a longstanding member of Starnes Cove Baptist Church, where his father and mother also faithfully served the Lord, where he met his wife, and where they raised their children. He steadily served the church in multiple areas: trustee, deacon and deacon chairman, Sunday School director, choir member, long range planning, benevolence, church kitchen staff, van ministry, and various other committees over the years, most affectionately being part of the "old man work crew".
Lovingly called Pappy, after his own father, he loved spending time with his family, camping and traveling in his RV, classic cars and trucks, raising a garden, golfing with his favorite foursome of friends, and southern gospel music. He personified dignity, integrity, commitment, and devotion. For him, the choice of what was right always took precedence over the easy or convenient wrong; that's the discipline he lived by and instilled in his family by action and word. His family will always remember his gentle and consistent love, how he put others before himself, and his strong, quiet nature. He will also happily be remembered for his clever one liners, piddling in the garage, tinkering, his homemade ice cream, and his love of good home-smoked barbeque, always the best he'd ever made.
Services will be held Friday, May 6th, at Starnes Cove Baptist Church, with the Rev. Charles Sams and Rev. Jeff Smith presiding. The family will receive friends at 1:00 p.m. and the funeral will begin at 2:30 p.m.
Burial with military honors will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Starnes Cove Baptist Church building fund or to the CarePartners Foundation.
Groce Funeral Home on Patton Ave. is assisting the family.
I am very sorry for your loss.
To: Eric and the entire Cannon family I grieve with you in your time of loss. Eric, I did not know your dad but he must have been a Godly soul as evidenced by your life and witness. May God provide you and your family comfort during this time.
To the Cannon family – may you be comforted by the promise of an eternal family reunion. May your memories be sweet and comforting in the days and weeks ahead. We love you!
Joel, LaRue, Jacob, Keaton, Hailey and Hayes Neilson
Thought and prayers with your family at this time. Raising such upstanding children has always been evidence of the Cannon ‘ s wonderful spirit and ability to add light and wonder to the world. As a peer of Clarence and Bernice children, I just wanted to leave my condolences and respects for your sweet family.
Eric, Jane and all the Cannon family, we are sorry to hear of the loss of your father. We love y’all and we will keep you in our prayers. Sam & DeLena
Bernice & family. We are so sorry to hear of the death of Clarence. Our love & prayers for comfort will be with you all during this time.
Eric and Jane,
Derek, Ian and I were so sorry to read of your Dad’s passing. We know he was a huge positive, presence in your life and the lives’ of his beloved grandchildren. May your many fond memories be a source of comfort at this time. His wonderful children and grandchildren are his true legacy. Thoughts and Prayers are with you.
Take care,
Love Dorothy.
Bernice and Family: I am so sorry for your loss. Clarence was such a kind person always sharing his vegetables from the garden and offering to help others in need. Heaven has welcomed a ‘special treasure’ and I hope knowing that your loved one watches you lovingly from above provides you with comfort.
Eric and Jane, and the rest of the family, we are saddened to know the heaviness you must feel right now. We pray that the strength of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God will carry you during these days. We love you.
Bernice and family so sorry for your loss/ Praying for peace during this time.
Bernice & Family……please accept my love and prayers. What a legacy Clarence leaves behind!
I am so sorry for your loss. My dad Julian Lanning worked with Mr. Cannon, Ralph and Clarence for many years at Asheville Packing and I have good memories of that place. Maybe Clarence and daddy are standing in the choir side by side singing. May God comfort you all in your time of loss.
Bernice, Lesley, and Eric,
I am so sorry to hear of Clarence’s passing! I pray God wraps his arms around you all as he carries you through this difficult time. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Love you all
I’m sorry to hear about Clarence. He was a great man and will be missed!
Bernice and family,
So sorry to hear about Clarence. He was a special man. Enjoyed going to church with him for many years and I know that my Dad, Junior Ingle, really thought a lot of him as he worked for Alton, Ralph & Clarence at Asheville Packing Co many years. I know he is in a better place and enjoying praising Jesus and seeing all the ones who have gone on before him, especially his Mom & Dad. You are in our thoughts & prayers and may God give you comfort & peace during this sad time. In Christ’s love, Claudette & Jim McNaughton
My sincere sympathy to you on your loss. Mourning such a loss is not easy, however, our faith makes it more bearable. Knowing that death marks a beginning, not just an end, is one of the most comforting principles that faith teaches us.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all in this time.
Bernice, Lesley and Eric we are so sorry for your loss. Sending thoughts, love and prayers during this difficult time. May God provide each of you with peace and comfort.
Bernice and family, You are all in our hearts, thoughts and prayers at this time. May you all find comfort and peace now and in the coming days. Clarence will be greatly missed, he was a wonderful, kind person.
What a wonderful obituary honoring the life of your father and your children’s grandfather. We are thinking of you and praying for comfort. We rejoice that he is in his eternal home.
Our sincere sympathy to Eric and all his family. May God comfort you during this time of sorry.
Bernice and all of the family. I can’t begin to put into words how sorry Shirley and I both are and want to pass along our condolences to you. Clarence was one that I enjoyed working with on the deacon body at Starnes Cove Church. I’ll always remember his kindness and he always went out of his way to shake my hand, whether it be before the worship service or after. I’m sure Jack, Bud, Penny, Dot (both), Atlee, and many others that have gone on before him from the church, are have already greeted him. Going to miss ya Clarence..
Our thoughts and prayers are being lifted for your family during this time.
Eric and family,
So sorry to hear of the passing of Mr. Cannon. Dale and I are praying for you and your family.
The joy is knowing where he is today and also knowing you will see him again.
Bernice and family, I am sorry to hear about Clarence. He was a trooper through everything. He had a big heart and thought of others. We have shared a lot over the years. God Bless and keep you all.
Thinking about all of you and praying for peace to carry you through the coming difficult days.
As the brother of Bernice, my wife Deborah and I are so sorry for the death of Clarence but we were aware of the suffering he had endured for at least the last two years and we are confident he is with our Lord. Our prays are with the entire family.
O’Brien Brooks
Ralph and family,so sorry for your loss,
We were so sorry to hear of your loss. Our deepest condolences go out to your family during this difficult time. We will certainly miss Clarence and his sweet smile.
Prayers for the family during this difficult time..
Big Ed- Truly sorry for your loss. Heather and I are thinking about you and your family. Biscuit was a great man.
-Stick and HC
My prayers are with your family , I am honored to have met and taken care of Mr Cannon .
My husband Robert and his brother Glenn remember Clarence and Ralph, they were both meat cutters and frequented Asheville Packing often. Our thoughts and Prayers are with the Family.
Eric. I am sorry for the passing of your father. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Eric, Jane, and family. So sorry to hear you lost your Dad. Tony’s father had worked for him many years ago. I understand he was a good man and no doubt he will be greatly missed. We are thinking of you and praying for you. Love you guys!
I feel blessed that this man has been part of my life. From the first day I met him he welcomed me. Welcomed me with open arms . Accepted me. A great man of the faith. I learned so much from him. Like how to cook on a grill. How to use a smoker. And of course how to make the perfect cup of coffee! I remember our talks on the many rounds of golf we played. We always liked to compare our golf game to Tiger Woods. Mostly when Tiger had some bad shots! Lol! But we enjoyed playing a round. I remember he didn’t care what our score was. But I’ll honestly say… He beat me more times than I can count. I enjoyed every moment on the links with Pappy! It was always a time I will cherish. Just like the time we first met. I was at his house shooting some hoops. He came out and wanted to play too. And Pappy had some skills! Made some great shots!! We had a lot of fun. And it was only the beginning . He and I grew closer over the years . Which I’m thankful for! I’ll never forget one day we went to play golf and the lady at the counter asked him if I was his son. He replied ‘ well he might as well be!’ I almost cried. I love Pappy and always will.