History of the Restoration Movement


William Adair "Bill" Cannon

1923-2004


The Life of William A. Cannon

William Adair Cannon was born in Fulton, Kentucky, November 11, 1923. He was married to Robbie Sue Porterfield, and they had two children.

He was baptized by W. Claude Hall in August of 1939. In 1943 he began attending Freed-Hardeman College. At that time Freed-Hardeman was a two-year school. He finally finished his Bachelors Degree at Abilene Christian College in 1949. He also did some post graduate work at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas.

He entered the military during World War II in the U.S. Navy. For eighteen years he served as a chaplain on several Navy and Air Force bases around the country. He reached the level of Lt. Colonel.

He began preaching in Oak Grove, Tennessee in 1943. Some churches he assisted over the years was the church in Briggs, Texas from 1947-1949; the Crystal Springs, Texas church from 1949-1951, the North Beach, church in Corpus Christi, Texas beginning in 1951. From there the family moved to Crossett, Arkansas serving the church there. In early 1954 he and his family moved to Savannah, Georgia to work with the Bull Creek church of Christ. While there he served as a Chaplin for the Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah. In the early 1960s he was stationed at the USAF, 6413th Air Base Wing in San Francisco. From there he did a stint in South Korea as a chaplain on an official basis, but as an evangelist/missionary on a spiritual basis. While there he took a great interest in assisting brethren in that country. He served for a time as a conduit for American Brethren to send clothing to the poor people of that war-torn nation. In 1961, he reported to the Gospel Advocate, “Generous brethren have sent thousands of boxes of clothing and other materials to me . . . these boxes weighed a total of several tons. They were distributed by me and the missionaries here in Korea.” He said, “I am the only chaplain of the church of Christ in Korea.”

After his time in East Asia, he returned to the U.S. and continued in the ministry. He preached for a time in Montana, but his home was Graves County, Kentucky. The last years of his life were spent at Somerset, near Fulton. He passed from this life at the age of 80, Monday, the 30th of August, 2004. Burial follow at Dukedom, Weakley County, Tennessee, next to the graves of his parents.

-Scott Harp, 01.14.2020

Obituary In The Paducah Paper

The Paducah Sun, Tuesday August 31, 2004 p11 (Kentucky)

Directions To Grave

Dukedom, Tennessee is in a remote part of west Tennessee on the Kentucky State Line. From Jackson, in West Tennessee, take I-40 to Exit #80 and head north on Hwy. 45E. Go through Medina and Milan on 45E. At Greenfield, take Hwy. 54 to Dresden. Go North out of Dresden on Hwy. 118 for 14.8 miles and when you come to the Kentucky State Line, turn left on Hwy. 129. Go 2.2 miles and the church and cemetery will be on your left. Go into the center drive of the cemetery. Head about mid-way of the road and begin looking to the left. The Cannon Family plot is facing the drive. Just across the drive are the graves of gospel preachers J.S. Jones and J.E. Choate. Also buried in the cemetery are preachers, C.A. Colley & Homer Royster. The trip is right at 67 miles from Jackson.

GPS Location
36°30'04.1"N 88°45'22.3"W
36.501131, -88.756197


CANNON
Cookie - Hazel Cook - January 3, 1929 - September 30, 2017
Jim - James E. - September 29, 1927 - September 10, 2008


CANNON
Murgeon Colley - January 27, 1903 - May 2, 1991
William Adair - May 20, 1902 - July 11, 1989

Robbie Sue Cannon - March 6, 1930 -
William A. Cannon - November 11, 1923 - August 30, 2004


William A Cannon Jr
Lt Col US Air Force
November 11, 1923 - August 20, 2004

Photos Taken 02.07.2018
Webpage produced 01.14.2020
Courtesy Of Scott Harp
www.TheRestorationMovement.com

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