Clair Gannon

USS Whitehurst Logo by: Pat Stephens, Webmaster, DESA

Clair Gannon, CO of USS Whitehurst in 1945 & 1946 Has passed away.

LTJG Clair Gannon 1945 Later photos of Mr. Gannon

Clair Hildreth Gannon, Jr., 92 of Hillsboro passed away Tuesday, February 11, 2014, in Hillsboro. A rosary will be recited at 6:00 p.m. Friday, February 14, 2014, at Marshall and Marshall Funeral Directors Chapel in Hillsboro with visitation to follow until 8:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 2:00 p.m Saturday, February 15, 2014, at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Hillsboro. Interment will be at 2:00 p.m. Monday, February 17, 2014, at Calvary Hill Cemetery in Dallas.

Clair was born in Dallas on August 24, 1921 to Fayetta Gilbough and Clair H. Gannon. As a child, he grew up in Wichita Falls from 1921 until 1933 when he moved to Dallas. He graduated from North Dallas High School where he won first in state for the mile relay. In 1941, he graduated from the University of Texas where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He was also crowned middle-weight champion of Intramural Fite Nite. He entered the University of Texas Law School until World War II intervened.

In the fall of 1942, he joined the Navy and attended officers' training school at Columbia University. He served in the Pacific on the USS Whitehurst DE-634, where he eventually was the commanding officer. He was a member of the Destroyer-Escort Sailors Association and Destroyer-Escort Historical Foundation.

At a Texas/OU party in Dallas he met Thelma “Bitsy” Trigg and they were married on May 2, 1953, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Dallas. They moved to Italy, TX and raised Black Angus cattle. Following the severe drought of 1955, they moved to Hillsboro where he began working for Farm Bureau Insurance. There he received the Pioneer Award and was a member of both the American Society of CLU & ChFC and the Million Dollar Round Table. A member of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, he was active in the Legion of Mary and the Knights of Columbus. He spent countless hours visiting people to encourage them to attend church. Over the years he took numerous children to catechism and Mass. Clair never missed an opportunity to say the Holy Rosary and often attended religious retreats at Montserrat on Lake Dallas. He received an award in recognition of his dedicated service to his church and its religious education program. He was also a member of the Hillsboro Lions Club and American Legion.

Clair was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Fayetta Gannon; brothers, Fred and James Gannon; and his infant children, Fred Gannon II and Ellen Gannon. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Thelma “Bitsy” Gannon of Hillsboro; his children, Tori Clark (Dan) of McKinney, Clair Gannon III (Barbara) of Dallas, Mary Gannon of Phoenix, AZ, Jack Gannon (Ellen) of Hillsboro, Sisi Brewer (Max) of Waco, Annetta Prudhomme (John) of Katy, and Patrick Gannon of Dallas; niece, Cindy Voelter (Chuck) of Austin; family members Lex Ready (Lisa), Jan McVey; and grandchildren, Gibbs and Trigg Clark, Clair Gannon IV, Jack Jr, Grace Ann, and Nancy Gannon, Hallie and Victoria Brewer, and Walt, Bitsy, and Gannon Prudhomme.

Memorials may be made to the Christ Child Society, 4926 Heatherbrook Dr., Dallas, TX, 75244 or Alzheimer's Association, 6605 Sanger Avenue, Waco, TX 76710.

From the website of Marshall and Marshall FD, Hillsboro Texas
http://www.marshallandmarshallfd.com/sitemaker/sites/MARSHA2/obit.cgi?user=1237369Gannon
Reported by Mr. Ed West