GANNON, Sr., William William Francis Gannon, Sr. passed away peacefully from natural causes at the age of 98 on the evening of November 9, 2016 at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale. Bill was born on July 23, 1918 in the small town of Westernport, Maryland, where he attended the 6-room Saint Peter's Catholic School. He attended the University of Maryland on ari ROTC scholarship and graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering, and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps? primarily in Central America. As a chief in radar and meteorology, he literally became one of America's first weathermen. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and stayed in the Air Force Reserves. He was among the very last surviving senior officers from WWII. In 1947, he married Margaret Ann Whitworth, who was also from Westernport. They were married for 65 years until her death in 2012. Bill began his 34-year telecommunications career with the Western Electric Company in the Baltimore area before being transferred to manage a transoceanic telephone cable plant outside of London. In 1961, he was promoted and transferred to Atlanta, where he managed a 5,000 person organization as the General Manager for Western Electric's operations in the 9 states served by Southern Bell. He held additional executive positions in project management, installation, purchasing and general management in New York City, Chicago and Denver. In 1972, he was named Vice President and General Manager for the 10 western states of Mountain Bell. He always had time for his family, and was active in Little League Baseball, the Boy Scouts and Junior Achievement. And once he retired, he spent a great deal of time playing golf at the Valley Country Club in Denver- where some of his fondest memories included his two holes-in-one. He also loved to travel -especially to Europe. In 2003, Bill and Margaret Ann moved to the Palm Yacht and Beach Club in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida. Bill is survived by his three children and their families, William F. Gannon, Jr. (Sandy Springs, GA), John W. Gannon (Delray Beach, FL) and Caroline Courtney (Fort Lauderdale), 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. A funeral service will be held on Monday, November 21 at 11:00am at Assumption Catholic Church, 2001 S. Ocean Boulevard, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in his name to American Legion Post 140, 3905 Powers Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30342.