Generous Gift Intended in Memory of Morris Clinton Cannon, Ph.D.

Mrs. Ruth Cannon, of Tacoma, Washington, has announced her intended gift in the amount of $100,000 to Wider Church Ministries in memory of her late husband, Morris Clinton Cannon, Ph.D., who died on April 7, 2013. 

The gift will form part of the Haystack Society recently established by the outgoing board of Wider Church Ministries.  The Haystack Society supports current and future ministries of Wider Church Ministries and Global Ministries.  Clint would automatically have become a member of the Haystack Society, as he was a member of its predecessor, the Samuel J. Mills Society, and was an active advocate and generous donor to UCC global mission over many decades.

Dr. Cannon was born June 5, 1926, and grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, where he remembered missionaries visiting his childhood home and inspiring him with their mission stories.  He enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and made the military his career, serving proudly for 32 years, retiring as Lieutenant Coronel. Tours of duty took him all over the world, from Germany and France, to Korea and Vietnam, with his last overseas assignment in Taiwan.

Clint graduated from the University of Illinois and later earned two master’s degrees and his doctorate.  After his military career, Clint taught at several universities and retired in 1989 from the University of Puget Sound.

A faithful Christian, Clint was active in the national, conference, and local levels of the United Church of Christ.  While living in the Pacific Northwest, Clint served on the United Church Board of World Ministries (UCBWM), Wider Church Ministries Board of Directors, and the Common Global Ministries Board in the 1990’s and 2000’s.  He was very active in mission interpretation in the UCC Western Region, serving as Coordinator for a time.  Later, he enjoyed a strong participation in the joint UCC-Disciple Mission Commission in Washington until the late 2000’s.  Moved by the witness of military chaplains he knew over his career, Clint established the Cannon Endowment Fund with UCC Local Church Ministries in support of UCC members studying to become chaplains.  He also endowed a scholarship with the Pacific Northwest Conference for clergy wishing to study for a doctorate.  Clint gave to Wider Church Ministries/Global Ministries generously for many years; his main passions were emergency response carried out through One Great Hour of Sharing, and global mission carried out through Global Ministries.

Clint loved trains, big and small.  Fellow board members remember Clint taking trains to board meetings which were held far and wide around the U.S.  He rode Amtrak frequently and was an active member of Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers (PSMRE), which built and operated the model railroad layout at the Washington State History Museum.

Dr. Cannon had a vast knowledge and love of history, which led his wife Ruth and him to participate as re-enactors at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum (Tacoma, WA), where Clint was “Chief Factor John Work” for many years. Clint served on the boards of Tacoma Opera, Tacoma Philharmonic, and Associated Ministries.

Clint is survived by his loving wife, Ruth; his sons Jim (Bob Haig) and David; his daughter, Cathie (Sharon Monaghan); his granddaughter, Mackenzie Cannon; and his stepchildren SaraLee Broback (Steve) and Brad Smith (Renee).  He was predeceased by his first wife, Louise Hodam Cannon, the mother of his children, in 1981.  Clint made many friends, loved his family deeply, read extensively, traveled with an open mind, and will be missed always.

The Reverend Dr. James A. Moos, Executive Minister of Wider Church Ministries and Co-Executive of Global Ministries, stated about Clint:  I was privileged to serve on the WCM and Global Ministries boards as a fellow board member and appreciated his deep commitment to God’s mission.  We in Wider Church Ministries/Global Ministries will miss Clint deeply and are extremely grateful to his wife, Ruth, in providing this lasting legacy of Clint’s faithful service and care through the Haystack Society.

Messages of condolence may be sent to Mrs. Ruth Cannon, 1732 Ventura Drive, Tacoma, WA  98465-1242.  Memorial gifts may be made to Wider Church Ministries/Global Ministries, 700 Prospect Avenue E, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100.