Truman Dee “Red” Canner

Truman Dee “Red” Canner, 88, of Seminole, Florida, passed away on April 26, 2020, while visiting his youngest son in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He was born in Bloomington, Indiana and was a long-time resident of Seminole, Florida. He graduated from Decatur Central High School where he was a wrestler. He was also a street car racer. Truman “Red” Canner was married to Mary Jo Graves Canner for sixty-eight years.  They met in the church where her father was a Deacon.

He served his country in the United States Navy during the Korean War. His duties included station control where the responsibility was making sure the balance tanks were correct so that the shipped remained stable, firefighter and cook. During the Korean War, his ship was the first one that was attacked off the coast of Korea. He served on the USS Antietam-(CV36), an aircraft carrier, the USS Shangri-La (CV38), USS Yorktown (CVA-10) and also the USS Kendova (CVE-114). He was on active duty for four years and then served in the reserves for four more years.  He loved the Navy and was very proud to be a veteran and serve his country. Two of his grand-children followed in his footsteps. Hunter Dee Leverenz served in the Navy for four and a half years and Nathaniel is currently on active duty.

Red worked for Standard Machine Works on the assembly line of an automotive machine shop inspecting finished engine sleeves; H.J. Newts where he serviced customers automobiles and trucks; Sear as a TV repairman; Cape Canaveral where he worked on the computers for the command center and also worked on the Gemini project; and spent over 30 years with National Gypsum as the Chief Electrician and also had programming responsibility.

He was the commissioner of the Cross Bayou Baseball League in the 70’s, was head coach and also an umpire. Truman was the manager and his son Richard was the assistant manager when his other son Chris was on a team sponsored by Cross Bayou. He was on a bowling team called the Bon Appetit for twenty-three years. He bowled with Richard Morrison, Joe Zidel, Richard Canner (his son), Bill Mills, and Tom Holiday. He was the 3^rd position in the team. He loved to paint sceneries from scratch. Recently Richard, his wife, Beth, and granddaughter, Racquel, got him into diamond painting.

He loved to play the lottery and do scratch offs and  he also enjoyed movies. There was nothing that he could not do. He helped his dad and brothers and sisters build a house from scratch.  He could do plumbing, electrical, carpentry, program computers, and was always there to help the church his friends and family anytime he could.

Red and Mary Jo were also people that would go visit their friends and church members in nursing homes. They would decorate their rooms for the holidays and spent time with them before they passed. Red and Mary Jo loved to throw parties and always made time for friends. Red used to throw huge breakfast parties where he would make waffles for everyone and they would have all kinds of toppings.

Red and Maryjo took many trips in their motor home visiting every state in the continental United States and the also visited Alaska and Hawaii. They spent five weeks touring Europe and had taken over twenty cruises traveling to all ports of call.

Red also enjoyed riding his scooter and going to swap meets with his daughter Stephanie and her husband Ricky along with his great granddaughter Mckenna.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Joan Graves Canner; his  father, Carol Dee Canner; mother, Vivian Mckinney Canner; sisters, MaryAnn Van Devander of Indianapolis, Goldie Stivers of Camby: his brothers Carl B Canner of Florida, David Canner from Florida and James. He is also preceded in death by his oldest daughter, Cindy Canner. He is survived by his children, Richard and his wife Beth, Stephanie and her husband Ricky and Christopher and his wife Lori; ten grandchildren and fourteen grandchildren.