Howard L. Shannon Sr.

Howard L. Shannon Sr. 81, of Jonesboro, died at Memphis Baptist Hospital after a heart valve replacement, followed by a stroke.

Howard was adopted by Dr. Walton and Ottilie Shannon from The Cradle in Evanston, Illinois. The Shannons picked him up at three months old and took him home to Jackson, Mississippi, on the train. Howard was the Shannon’s second adoption; his sister Sherry was four years older.

Howard was raised in Jackson with summers in Biloxi, Mississippi. He attended Cascia Hall, a Catholic Preparatory School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for grades 6-8, and Saint Stanislaus, a Catholic Boarding School for Boys in Bay St.  Louis, Mississippi, grades 9 and 10. He graduated from Murrah High School in Jackson, in 1961. He studied Architecture and Interior Design at Auburn University, graduating with a degree in interior design in 1969. He secured his first job as an interior designer for Holiday Inns International, at its headquarters in Memphis, where he met Claudia Cathcart.

Howard and Claudia were married in June 1973. In May 1974 they moved to Claudia’s hometown of Jonesboro, to begin their own design firm, Shannon Design Enterprise, Inc. Although Howard’s title is Registered Interior Designer in Arkansas, his talent was interior architecture.

He loved Auburn football, nature, birds and squirrels, horses- especially Red, Red Rose, banana popsicles, his hobby farm, designing problem solutions, helping people, drawing house plans, hunting at Claud’s cabin,  space planning,  making people laugh, Christmas lights, First United Methodist Church of Jonesboro, building fires in the fireplace, grilling and teaching others to grill, Foofer-his favorite dog of all time, Winnie his cat, Saturday nights with granddaughter Taylor, his years growing up on Back Bay Biloxi, decorative eggs, and spring planting on his patio. And everyone knows he loved his years at Auburn University because he always wore blue and orange Auburn gear.

He was insanely proud of his wife, his children, his grandchildren and the life he made in Jonesboro.

Through his marriage to Claudia, Howard gained a brother: Fred Lynn Cathcart (Susan) of Jonesboro, with their daughter Natalie and granddaughter Neely; and a sister: Cathy Cathcart Short Butler (Wayne) of Foley, Alabama, with her son Nathan Short (Andrea) and their daughter Leila.

In addition to his wife, Claudia, Howard leaves three children:  Howard L. “Bubba” Shannon Jr. (Beth) of Jonesboro, with his children Cole, Ruby Shannon and Lily Stafford, of the home; Paige Shannon Cothern with her daughter, Taylor Cothern of the home and her bonus son, Nick Cothern of Paragould.; and from his first marriage, David Shannon (Annette), and grandchildren; Sarah Shannon, Walton and his son, Zac Shannon all of Dauphin Island, Alabama.

He also leaves the children of his sister, Sherry:  Shannon Pitchford of North Carolina and his family, Gerow Pitchford of California, and Pam Pitchford and her family of Cleveland, Ohio.

In recent years DNA has found three half-sisters from the Chicago area: Judith Schmidt, Deborah Pendray and Karen Visinaiz

Howard is preceded in death by his adoptive parents, sister, Sherry, in-laws, Fred and Nancy Cathcart, niece, Donna Cathcart, Claudia’s grandmothers, Stella Cathcart and Bess Hardin, his uncle Howard Lauhoff of Danville, IL, and his lifelong friend, Carl Jones of Houston.

A memorial service will be 2:30 P.M., Thursday, January 5, 2023, with Scott Gallimore officiating in the sanctuary at First United Methodist Church with Emerson Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. Visitation will be from 12:30 until service time in the First United Methodist Atrium.  Burial will be private.

For lasting memorials, please consider, Recovery Inc., 2412 Pinnacle Pointe, Jonesboro 72404 and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee, 38105. To sign an online guestbook, go to emersonfuneralhome.com.