Shannon was born in Minneapolis, MN on September 5, 1941 to Lyle and Rosalie (Linder) Frank.

She passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 16th, 2024, after a long battle with cancer. Kenneth, her loving husband of 64 years was at her side, as he always was. She often told him that she knew he was always there for her.

Shannon won the nickname of “Nonnie or Non” as a young child when her brother, Lorie, couldn’t pronounce her name. Lovingly he called her Nonnie and it stuck!

When Shannon was a child while at a dance class she saw some students twirling batons and thought it looked fun. She went on to excel at baton twirling and landed the position of Hamm’s mascot, traveling with the drum corps for parades and other performances all over the upper Midwest.

Ken and Shannon had known each other in high school, but a Christmas card sent by Shannon, and with a little assistance from Ken’s uncle Frank, and Shannon’s mom they began dating and were married on August 20, 1960 after Ken came home from the service.

The couple's honeymoon had them moving to Dallas Texas where Ken’s job had transferred him. During their time in Dallas, they would be blessed with the birth of their first child, a premature little girl they would name Mindy.

Dallas was not home to the couple who had lived in Minneapolis all their lives…Shannon especially missed her family and SNOW! Ken, ever the thoughtful and loving husband, worked for Thermal King on refrigerated trucks. When they came in from the north heavily laden with snow and ice he would carefully pack it into cardboard boxes and take it home to quickly spread on the front lawn as a gift for his precious wife. She always knew she was loved!

The couple knew they wanted to go home, the move would prove exciting! With the 56 Chevy fully loaded and little Mindy in a cardboard box (well stocked with pacifiers) they headed for Minnesota. The ride home would be quite an adventure! Ken had to race a tornado out of Oklahoma!

Their first home was in Coon Rapids where they welcomed their second child, a precious son they named Dodd.

Shannon loved being a homemaker, caring for the children she was so proud of. She was a wonderful mom to her children as well as to their friends. All of Mindy and Dodd’s friends were loved and welcomed home with them at any time. She was a wonderful listener with a very tender and caring heart, especially for those who were hurting.

She was very proud of all her family and loved each one deeply.

Never a rule-follower, she was known to steal Dustin, Tawny and Kelsey away from a day at school to have a fun day with grandma, which usually involved a day of shopping for clothes of course, but also toys and an abundance of candy!

Her grandchildren and great grandchildren also gave her much joy. In later years as her health prevented her from seeing much of them she would lovingly study each of their pictures and want to hear over and over of Elliot’s football games, Edie’s volleyball, Elliot and Silas’ wrestling, and all about Brook’s dance team, watching what she could from videos and pictures, also delighting in being read to by Chase.

Shannon loved to bake…because she loved to eat sweets! Forget a healthy meal, cookies and candy were always on the menu and Ken made sure to keep her well supplied with Coca-Cola and candy. Shannon loved animals! All kinds! She could be found chasing snakes in the backyard of their Dresser home as well as in the Northwoods of Canada looking to make a new furry friend. She was always ready to feed a needy animal. Weren’t they all needy?

Shannon never said, “No” to any request from her children for a pet… all of God’s creatures from cats, hamsters, dogs, ponies to birds and even a pet monkey were welcome in the Kanan home! In recent years she and Ken provided a loving home for 3 rescue cats; Ivy, Gypsy and Inga were very well loved and spoiled by both Ken and Shannon.

Referred to as “The Glamor Queen” by her grandchild, Shannon loved clothes and fashion, she was always ahead of the times with her makeup and wardrobe, and never seen not looking fabulous! Often teased by her children as even on family fishing trips to remote lakes in Canada she would be decked in her high heels, all of her makeup and very fashionable clothes…just not anything practical for camping or fishing! She enjoyed dressing her children well also, so much so that while Mindy and Dodd were young their friends would ask if they could come out and play would it be okay to get your clothes dirty???

Ken and Shannon loved to collect and sell antiques together. Their daughter and grandchildren had to chase them down at Flea Markets and Antique shows just to see them. They made many friends and enjoyed many years of collecting and selling fun items.

They suffered many hard times together, but the hardest was losing their son, Dodd on New Year’s day 1985 in a car accident.

Shannon struggled with health issues throughout their marriage. She always kept a positive attitude and fought hard to get well. Ken was an adoring husband and always treated his bride like a queen. They were always together. Everyone who knew them would remark about how close they were. Theirs was a special love!

Shannon is preceded in death by her son, Dodd Anthony Kanan, parents; Lyle and Rosalie (Linder) Frank, special aunt; Leann Linder, brother in law, Chuck Jordan, sister in law, Gloria Jordan, and sister in law, Judy Frank, and nephew, Brett Frank.

She is survived by her husband, Kenneth Kanan, daughter, Mindy (Mike) Havlish, grandchildren; Dustin (Lizz) Havlish, Tawny (Chad) Talmadge, Kelsey Havlish, great grandchildren; Elliot, Eden and Silas Havlish, and Brooke and Chase Talmadge, her brother, Loren Frank, sister in law, Karen (David) Stout, also, nephews; Simon (Shawna) Jordan, Dean Jordan, niece Cheryl (Bob) Neilson, nephew, Craig (Becky) Frank and many other wonderful family and friends.

Visitation will take place Friday, December 6th, 2024 from 10:00am-10:30am at the New Life Christian Community Church in Dresser, WI. Following the Visitation will be a Celebration of Life beginning at 10:30am.

Last Update: Nov 21, 2024 1:28 pm CST