BARRY’S BAY – Theresa Cannon accomplished a lot during her lifetime. She was part of the communication development in Algonquin Park, had a loving family and always maintained her appearance.
She was also the eldest resident at the Valley Manor Nursing Home in Barry’s Bay when she passed away on February 1 this year. She was 105 years old.
Cannon (née Luckasavitch) came to the Manor on September 28, 2006.
She was born on October 25, 1907, and lived in Whitney for a large chunk of her life. Her first language was Polish.She married Thomas Cannon (who has passed on) and had three children.
She even helped build the town to what it is today. As a young woman, she worked for different families in hotel dining, and for 12 years Cannon was a chief operator at a small switch board in her home for Bell Canada.
According to the Township of South Algonquin’s website, the area’s telephone system was originally operated by the department of lands at the East Gate of Algonquin Provincial Park. However, in 1952, the operation was relocated to the Cannon’s household in Whitney, where it remained until 1963. It was the first of its kind in the rural town.
Cannon received most of her training in Powassan, Ont., but her commercial training was completed in North Bay.She also had the guidance of a woman named Miss E. Craig, a Bell traffic instructor from North Bay. Cannon’s daughter, Joan, (who passed away in 2011) also helped with the operation of the business.
Eventually the system moved to the new building owned by Bell, which still runs to this day.
Cannon attended St. Martins of Tours’ Parish in Whitney, where she was a member of the Catholic Women’s League for 30 years.
In an article The Valley Gazette ran about Cannon in 2011, Manor Activities Aid Nancy Cybulskie said Cannon cared about everyone.
Story continues in the February 13, 2013 issue of The Valley Gazette.