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TRAVIS HOWARD CANNON
OCTOBER 23, 1939 - OCTOBER 23, 2017

Travis Howard Cannon, 78, died peacefully on his birthday, Monday October 23, 2017 in Denton, Texas after battling Parkinson’s disease for over 15 years. He is preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Patricia Ann Cannon (Smith) of Denton (who passed on Sep. 28, 2017), his father John Belve Cannon, his mother Ruby Lea Cannon (Bell), his sister Mary Jane Cannon, his sister Margaret Louise Porter (Cannon), and his brother-in-law Raymond Charles Porter, all of Caldwell, Texas. Travis is survived by his brothers, John Thomas Cannon (Linda) and Curtis William Cannon (Kathy), both of Caldwell, Texas. his children, Deborah Kay Krauth (Walter) of Newnan, Georgia; Travis Howard (Ward) Cannon II (Melisa) of Corinth, Texas; Christopher Todd Cannon (Cheryl) of Dallas, Texas; nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren.



Travis was born on Monday October 23, 1939 in Bryan, Texas to Ruby Lea Cannon (Bell) and John Belve Cannon. As a younger child, he grew up on a farm in Burleson County near the Brazos River and his family later moved to Caldwell, Texas. Travis graduated from Caldwell High School and attended Texas A&M University.



Throughout his time at Texas A&M, during breaks from school, Travis started working for the H.B. Zachry Construction Company and continued working for them full-time just 12 hours shy of graduating from Texas A&M. He worked for H.B. Zachry in various capacities over a 43 year period beginning in 1959 through to 2002. Travis started as an equipment operator on earth moving and paving projects and worked his way up to become the Vice President in charge of the heavy/highway construction division in 1988. While with Zachry, Travis supervised or managed various domestic and foreign construction projects which included: the concrete paving of the DFW International Airport, the concrete paving of the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, and the construction of a 90 mile concrete-lined irrigation canal system for the Mahaweli Authority in Sri Lanka.



Early in his career with Zachry, while working on a construction project in Kansas, Travis met Pat, married her and brought her to Texas. During their early years of marriage, they relocated to different towns across Texas following construction projects, until they established roots and raised their children in Carrollton, Texas. As empty nesters, Travis and Pat relocated several times, including moves to Bulverde, Sugarland, and Boerne, before finally settling in Denton, Texas.



Travis was a pleasure to be around, he was well liked by his peers, he had a good sense of humor, he enjoyed the company of others, and he was very friendly, courteous and respectful. He was a good father, husband and grandfather and instilled sound work ethics and high moral standards within his children. Travis was very passionate and took pride in doing things the “right way”, whether at work or at home. In his work, he was very meticulous and kept written and photo journals of all the projects of which he was involved.



Travis’s interests included (but were not limited to): travel, reading, playing poker, crossword puzzles, hunting (especially bird hunting), fishing, dancing and tinkering in the garage. He was a huge football fan and supported the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Aggies. Before becoming physically incapable due to his Parkinson’s, Travis could often be found enjoying a round of golf with friends. He was not the best of golfers, but it became his primary pursuit in his retirement.



He led an adventurous life that included living overseas in Jordan, Sri Lanka and travels around the globe which included trips (at least) to: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Australia, England, Kenya, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Greece, Holland, Italy, and Syria.



At his request, Travis is being cremated and the family will be conducting a memorial service for both Travis and Pat at Restland Funeral Home in Dallas on 11/19 at 2:30 in the afternoon, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the American Cancer Society, or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
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Published in (San Antonio) Express-News on Nov. 12, 2017

Travis Howard Cannon(1939 - 2017)
October 23, 1939 - October 23, 2017
Travis Howard Cannon, 78, died peacefully on October 23, 2017 in Denton, Texas after battling Parkinson's disease for over 15 years. He is preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Patricia Ann Cannon (Smith) of Denton, and survived by his brothers, John Thomas Cannon (Linda) and Curtis William Cannon (Kathy), both of Caldwell, Texas, his children, Deborah Kay Krauth (Walter) of Newnan, Georgia; Travis Howard (Ward) Cannon II (Melisa) of Corinth, Texas; Christopher Todd Cannon (Cheryl) of Dallas, Texas; nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Travis was born on October 23, 1939 in Bryan, Texas to Ruby Lee Cannon (Bell) and John Belve Cannon. Travis graduated from Caldwell High School and attended Texas A&M University. For full obituary, visit: www.neptunesociety
.com/obituaries.