Jeanne Ellen (Bauman) Cannon

Jeanne Ellen Cannon, 78, died Thursday, February 1, 2024, at home, surrounded by the love of her immediate family following end-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. She devoted her life to God, family, friends and community.

Visitation for Jeanne will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, February 6, at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main St. (Lake-Cook Road), Barrington. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, February 7, at Lutheran Church of Atonement, 909 E. Main Street, Barrington. Interment will be held at Hills of Rest Memorial Park in Sioux Falls, SD.

Jeanne was born September 3, 1945, in Luverne, MN to Garfield and Lorraine Bauman. The daughter of a journeyman electrician, Jeanne and her siblings, James, Kaye, and Robert, spent their childhood moving across the Midwest. By the time she reached high school, her family had settled in Pierre, SD where Jeanne flourished at T.F. Riggs High School. She was equal parts beauty and brains, earning high academic honors and charming her classmates as Homecoming princess. She was an avid singer in the church youth choir and spent her summers carhopping at the local diner, where she was known for making milkshakes so thick she served them upside down!

Jeanne was attending Augustana University when lightning struck in the form of Miles Chumley Cannon – a Kodak salesman who swept her off her feet. Jeanne and Miles were married on March 2, 1968, and eventually settled in Barrington, IL where they raised their two children, Alicia and Trevor.  At home, she was the center of her family’s world – instilling Christian family values that became the foundation of Alicia and Trevor’s moral compass. Outside the home, Jeanne was a pillar of her community. When she wasn’t supporting Miles’ upstart orthopedic distribution company, Howmedica-Cannon Associates, she was volunteering at Lines Elementary School, serving on the PTA, teaching Sunday school at Lutheran Church of Atonement, chairing the Barrington Area Arts Council and serving as president of the Barrington Junior Women’s Club. In all these endeavors, Jeanne was known for her servant leadership, her warmth and her generous spirit. One look from her stunning green eyes and bright smile and you knew you were most welcome in her presence.

Jeanne and Miles shared a love for travel and enjoyed countless adventures across the globe throughout their 41 years of marriage – but three places held a sacred spot in Jeanne’s heart: South Dakota; Park Rapids, MN; and Sanibel Island, FL. At the center of these locations are cherished family memories of Thanksgivings, wintry Christmases, summers at the lake and spring break sea-shelling.

Perhaps Jeanne’s most treasured role was that of Nana. She was instrumental in helping to raise her four grandchildren, commuting to Chicago to care for Tessa and Dominic, and opening her home to Elkey and Miles – a place they still call home to this day. She beamed with pride over their triumphs and accomplishments, and her grandchildren will tell you there is no greater love than their Nana’s.

While Jeanne’s volunteering credits are many, she had a special connection with Alzheimer’s patients, having watched her father struggle with the disease. As a master gardener, she guided dementia patients through horticulture therapy at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, as well as donated her time to the Barrington Area Council on Aging’s Day Out program – where, in a full-circle moment, she became a participant and beneficiary of their generous services.

Jeanne is survived by her daughter, Alicia Alfano (Anthony) of Elmhurst; her son, Trevor (Kristin) of Barrington; her four grandchildren, Tessa and Dominic Alfano and Elkey and Miles Cannon; her sister, Kaye Auch (Loren) of Sioux Falls, and her brother, Robert Bauman (Melanie) of Sioux Falls, along with seven nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Jeanne's name can be directed to Lutheran Church of Atonement or the
Barrington Area Council on Aging (Bacoa) Day Out Program .