Obituary of John Joseph Gannon

BALLSTON LAKE – John Joseph Gannon passed away after experiencing some heart complications on Monday, April 24, 2023. During the days leading up to his passing, he was surrounded and visited by his family that loved him so dearly. John was born on June 8, 1937 in Mount Vernon, New York and grew up in Eastchester, New York with his six siblings. Upon graduating from Archbishop Stepinac High School in New Rochelle, New York, he attended Iona College to receive his Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degrees in Education. After receiving his educational degrees, he served in the New York Army National Guard for four years. Soon after, John went on to follow his passion of teaching multiple subjects to inner city children with the New York City school district for 33 years. In his early years of teaching, he also taught English as a second language in the evenings to newly immigrated medical professionals. In 1963, he would marry Carolyn Ann (David) Gannon and have five beautiful daughters that he loved so dearly – Maureen Gannon, Michele Gannon, Carolyn (Gannon) Samora, Trish (Gannon) Dittenhafer and Erin (Gannon) Ferro. After initially living in New Rochelle, New York for many years, John moved his family to Windham, New York to experience and live the simple “country” life. He envisioned having a small farm, which he accomplished by having chickens, rabbits and pigs (with some escaping at the hands of his daughters to let them free), as well as large vegetable and flower gardens every year. During his years living in Windham, he spent time serving the community as a volunteer EMT on the Windham Rescue Squad and a Windham Ashland Jewett School District board member. John had a big heart, and after retirement, he followed his passion to help others and became a home health care aide along with spending many years as a Hospice volunteer. After the passing of his first wife, he would meet Gayle Patricia Trahan who he would marry and reside within Ballston Lake, NY for many years. Together, they enjoyed spending time in the Outer Banks, North Carolina (which he loved so much with spending countless hours sitting on the beach in his chair) and traveling to many countries. Later in life, he discovered a love for bees and was passionate about educating others on the importance of bees to the environment. He carried on this passion in becoming a beekeeper for many years, harvesting his own honey and giving it to his family and friends. John was known among his family and friends for his non-stop silly "jokes" and off-beat humor. He had many loves and hobbies in life. He had a deep love and knowledge of gardening and passed this on to his daughters. He loved the beach and breathing in the ocean air. He loved visiting libraries and reading, getting lost in his books. In a time where many of us get our news online, John enjoyed reading every inch of his New York Times newspaper every morning with his coffee. He loved cooking and was good at it. He had the ability to create an amazing meal without following any recipe. He was a strong believer in organically grown produce and humanely raised farm animals. He loved watching Star Trek, The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie. John’s favorite last saying was “you can never have enough happy.” John is survived by his wife, Gayle Trahan, his five daughters Maureen Gannon, Michele Gannon (Jim Johnston), Carolyn (Gannon) Samora, Trish (Gannon) Dittenhafer (Rod Dittenhafer) and Erin (Gannon) (Adam Ferro) Ferro, along with his stepdaughters Dawn Marie Nous (Ron Litz) and Debbie Thompson (Bill Thompson) and stepson Mark Nous (Maralee Williams). He also leaves behind his grandchildren Skylar Trivieri, Charles Raymond, Logan Raymond, Nicholas Samora, Ava Dittenhafer, Leah Dittenhafer, Dominic Ferro, Dean Ferro, Alexa Nous, and Trent Thompson. In addition, he leaves behind his brother Terence Gannon and sisters Eileen Kelly, Rosemarie Federmack and Rita Gannon. Also, countless nephews and nieces. He is predeceased by his parents Joseph Gannon and Kathleen (Keogan) Gannon, and his sisters Kathleen Gannon and Ann Gannon. Services to honor John’s life will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2023, at Simple Choices, Inc., located at 218 2nd Avenue (corner of 104th Street) Troy, NY 12180. Friends and family are welcome to pay their respects between the hours of 10AM and 12PM and share their stories of John with a simple service at 12PM in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, in honor of his love for “saving the bees,” John would be most grateful for memorial contributions to be made to Project Apis m, an organization whose mission is to fund research and efforts to improve honey bee health and vitality. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the Gannon and Trahan Families, online at: SimpleChoicesCremation.com