Baker Lee Shannon

He was born April 26, 1925, in Eastland, Texas, to Catherine and Baker Shannon. He had a younger brother, Harry Shannon. His father worked as an oil driller and they moved around a lot in South Texas, eventually to settle on the Pierce Ranch, where his father became the ranch manager. As a boy, he and his brother were in the Boy Scouts and both earned the Eagle Scout Badge.

Baker went to Texas A&M College of Engineering and earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in the Class of 1946. He was a lifelong supporter of the school and of the Corps of Cadets Association, endowing some scholarships and making a large contribution to the construction of the new engineering center.

After college, he moved to Houston. While trying to find a permanent place to live, he resided in the Downtown Houston YMCA. He met his future wife, Nancy Beatrice Pittman, in a bible class in the First Presbyterian Church in Houston, and they were married on April 3, 1948. He worked as en engineer in the growing air-conditioning industry, eventually starting his own company, Air Conditioning Industries, Inc., which built highly-specialized environmental control rooms for cancer research and other complicated projects; he was a Registered Professional Engineer. He also liked to travel, along with his wife, to other countries on ASME sponsored trips to look at engineering marvels around the world, as well as take vacation cruises. And, he loved ice cream!

He was active in the Presbyterian church and the Boy Scouts of America, where he became the Scoutmaster of Troop 624, then later becoming involved with adult leader training in the Wood Badge Program. In later life, he joined the Volunteers at the West Houston Medical Center and served as President for a number of years. He also was President of the Alief AARP Chapter three times. At the age of 50, he decided to become a Deputy Constable, and so he had the distinction of being the oldest rookie constable in Harris County Precinct 5!

Competitive swimming, in the Senior Masters Program, became a great passion of his, and he loved to travel to swim meets, even as far away as New Zealand. Sometimes he was just trying to beat his own time in many categories, because he was often the only one in his advanced age group.

Baker is survived by his two children, three grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Nancy, his brother Harry, and his grandson Josh.

A visitation will be held at the Forest Park Funeral Home, 12800 Westheimer Rd., Houston, 77077, on Wednesday, March 10, from 4:00 - 7:00 PM. A graveside service will take place at Hawley Cemetery on Thursday, March 11, at 1:00 PM.