Carol Louise Cannon

Carol Louise Cannon, 79, of Gainesville, Florida, passed away peacefully at her home on July 27, 2026.

Carol was born on December 22, 1946, in Montreal, Canada, to Florence and George Brunelle. After graduating from McGill University, she traded snow for sunshine and moved to Gainesville in 1968, where she began working as a radiologic technologist at Shands Hospital.

In 1969, Carol met the love of her life, Matthew “Matt” Cannon. They married in March 1973 and built a life together filled with family, friendship, travel, and adventure.

After welcoming their two daughters, Carol began a new chapter as a teaching assistant at Martha Manson Academy. Over approximately 19 years, she worked with students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Carol had a genuine passion for children and a special gift for making learning engaging, joyful, and fun.

Carol and Matt shared a love of the water and spent many happy days boating with friends in the Abacos and Crystal River. They also enjoyed numerous cruises and other travel adventures with Carol’s brother, Robert, and his wife, Debbie.

Carol was an exceptional cook who could create a delicious meal from nearly anything Matt brought home. Fresh fish, scallops, dove, quail, and even alligator tail often found their way onto the menu, always prepared with care and served with love.

One of Carol’s greatest joys was being a grandmother. She was honored to host “Granny Camp” each summer for her oldest grandsons, Evan and Ethan, with visits to the Retirement Home for Horses becoming a favorite tradition. She also treasured her youngest grandson William, reading stories together, playing tic-tac-toe and dots, and teaching him all kinds of card and dice games, most recently LCR during a vacation to St. Augustine.

Carol loved deeply, and she had a remarkable ability to make friends feel like family. Whether she was spending time with her book club, visiting with friends at the fitness center, or sharing good wine, lively conversation, and laughter, she brought warmth and joy wherever she went.

Carol will be remembered for her kindness, her devotion to her family, her generous spirit, and the warmth and compassion she shared with everyone fortunate enough to know her.

She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Matthew DePass Cannon; her brother, Robert Brunelle (Deborah) of Montreal; her daughters, Cathi Swanson (Anders) of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, and Liz Clupper (Kelly) of Deltona, Florida; and her three cherished grandsons, Evan Steffens, Ethan Steffens, Noah Clupper, and William Swanson.

She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Florence Brunelle of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.

The family will hold a small graveside service on Saturday Aug 8, 2026. A celebration of life will follow at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in her memory.