John William Gannon

John Gannon, 55, of Phoenix, Arizona, passed away from leukemia on July 31, 2015, surrounded by family and friends. John was born February 27, 1960, to Herbert and Sally Gannon in Cleveland, Ohio. John worked at the Tempe Public Library for over 31 years, where his dedication to public service was unequalled, benefitting all its citizens, especially students, with his computer expertise and eagerness to help, the elderly, handling the homebound service, and children, his hugely popular story times made him a favorite of all the children and their parents. John also worked with hundreds of library volunteers and arranged dozens of ceremonial events over the years. John was a hero. He never saw a wrong that he didn’t feel the need to address; he stood up for others who couldn’t or wouldn’t do so for themselves, even at his own risk. He was a leader in the fight to provide domestic partner benefits for the City of Tempe, making Tempe one of the very first cities in the country to provide such benefits. His passion for movies, books, and travel was infectious; he shared his enthusiasm with everyone and won over all who met him with his beautiful smile and kindness. John always put everyone’s needs ahead of his own; he had boundless love for his coworkers, his friends, his family, and his life partner, Robert Lashua. It was impossible to know John and not to love him. As his older brother David so eloquently wrote of his brother John, “He will be remembered as a man who chose to sow seeds of compassion and understanding, acceptance and diversity, openness and inclusion, patience and kindness, generosity and hope, humility and truth, and warmth and love. May the seeds he has sown grow to maturity in others whom his life touched, and may they continue to sow as he has sown until the earth is covered in the harvest of the crop he so longed to reap.” John is survived by his life partner of 25 years, Robert Lashua, his mother, Sally Gannon, his two sisters, Barbara Zachary (Al), Mary Osborne, his three brothers, David, Patrick and Michael, and several nephews and nieces. At John’s request, there will be no memorial service. Should friends desire, contributions may be sent to the Arizona Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (3877 N 7th St. Ste. 300, Phoenix, AZ 85014-5062) or a cancer charity of their choice.