In Memoriam

Helen W. Gannon
1940-2025

COOPERSTOWN—Mrs. Helen W. Gannon, 85, passed away on August 25, 2025 in hospice care at Medina Memorial Hospital in Medina. A devoted nurse, loving mother and grandmother, and lifelong volunteer, Helen’s life was marked by compassion, dedication, and deep love for family and friends.

Born on June 25, 1940 in the Flatbush Avenue section of Brooklyn, Helen was the daughter of Ernest and Anna Walther, both of whom emigrated from Europe seeking better lives in America. Helen learned the value of hard work early on, working in her father’s grocery store and helping raise her younger brother.

Helen was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan (until Dem Bums left New York in 1957). Staying true to Brooklyn, she became a Mets fan when the team was founded in 1962 and remained one to the very end.

Helen graduated from Hartwick College in Oneonta, and became a registered nurse. She worked at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown in many capacities over 34 years, but was proudest of her role as head nurse of Pediatrics and the love she gave to the children there. She later became a clinical instructor at BOCES and assistant supervisor at The Meadows Nursing Home in Otsego County. Through each position, Helen touched countless lives.

Helen married Truman Gannon in 1970, with whom she shared many years until his passing. Helen took great pride in her family and found immense joy in her granddaughters. She was predeceased by her husband, Truman Gannon; her parents, Ernest and Anna (Surin) Walther; brother Herman Walther; and half-sister Anna Surin. She is lovingly remembered by her son, Richard, and daughter-in-law Shannon Welch; granddaughters Aubrey, Taya, and Kaylin Gannon; brother Ernest (Maureen) Walther; sister-in-law Virginia Walther; nephew Robert Walther; nieces Donna (Scott) Noll, Andrea (Josh) Long, Lara Smith, Stephanie (Robert) Morlino; and seven great-nieces and nephews.

Helen was a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary, the Native Daughters of Cooperstown, the St. Peter Lutheran Church Ladies’ Group, and served as treasurer and advancement coordinator for Boy Scout Troop 1254 of Cooperstown. She also volunteered, knitting caps for newborns as well as patients undergoing cancer treatment, prayer shawls, and mittens for schoolchildren. Her hands were busy when there was someone to help or comfort.

Helen’s legacy will live on in the warmth she brought to those she cared for, as a nurse, as a friend, and as family.

The family wishes to extend their thanks to Medina Memorial Hospital, the Second Floor staff, and Orleans County Hospice for their support and graciousness.

A memorial service will be held for Helen on September 28, 2025 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1355 West Avenue, Medina.

Donations can be sent to her favorite charity, Mary Cariola (Children’s) Center: Walking on Sunshine (Team Taya), 1000 Elmwood Ave., Suite 100 Rochester, NY 14620 or online at https://marycariolacenter.salsalabs.org/walkingonsunshine2025/t/teamtaya in her honor.

Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.