Susan Margaret Cannon

Susan was born in Escanaba, MI and spent her early years in Gladstone. At the age of 7, her mother became the Public Health RN for Kewaunee County and they moved to Kewaunee, WI, a beautiful little town on Lake Michigan.

She attended Holy Rosary Elementary School, graduated from Kewaunee High School in 1966 and entered into a diploma program at Milwaukee County Hospital, graduating as a Registered Nurse in 1969. By 1970, she had joined the Navy, attended the United States Navy Women's Officer School in Newport, RI, had a stint in Long Beach and served most of her time in the Aleutian Islands (ADAK). She endured near plane crashes, capsized boats, red alerts, volcanic eruptions and near tsunamis on a desolate island with many challenges, held together by a close community and sheer will power. She had the best nursing instincts, fostered early on by her mother and reinforced by emergency decision making and no time to waste. Ultimately, achieving the rank of Lieutenant, she also served in the Reserve Corps.

In 1978, she moved to Santa Rosa, working at Community Hospital. Enrolling at Sonoma State University, she received her BSN and shortly thereafter began teaching at Santa Rosa Junior College. Mentoring seemed to be her natural calling. She had loved the Navy and teaching corpsmen; it was a perfect fit. SRJC took it’s place. An unabashed workaholic, she simultaneously held positions in Urgent Care at Kaiser Permanente and SRJC until her retirement.

Susan was an incredible advocate for her patients and friends alike, and possessed an unparalleled generosity of spirit. She was truly blessed to have spent her life surrounded by the students, colleagues and friends that she cherished in a career that she loved.

She is survived by her sister, Ann Hamachek and many treasured relatives and friends.

Please join us at Star of the Valley Catholic Church in Oakmont on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 for a Rosary at 10:45 AM, followed by a Memorial Mass at 11:00 AM. A Celebration of a Life well lived will ensue in the Parish Hall at noon.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Susan's memory to the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation for the Susan Cannon Memorial Scholarship Fund (Attention: Sarah Laggos, 1501 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA, 95401).

Condolences and words of sympathy left on this website will be forwarded to the family.

Star of the Valley Catholic Church