DONALD PAUL “DOC” SHANNON
1934-2024
Don, “Doc”, Shannon, 90, of Houghton passed away on the morning of December 9, 2024 at Fort Madison Community Hospital in Fort Madison, Iowa.
Doc was born July 31, 1934 in Keokuk County, Iowa to Bill and Fronie Shannon of Keota. He was the middle of three sons including older brother Jim and younger brother Ed. After high school graduation, Doc attended Iowa State University and graduated with a degree in Veterinary Medicine. He married Joann “Jo” Shannon on June 18, 1958. He worked at Pahle Veterinary Clinic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin until they returned to southeast Iowa. Doc and Jo established their home and veterinary clinic in Houghton Iowa in 1959, where he practiced for many years until Jo’s passing in 2022.
Doc loved his veterinary work. He often said, “If you love your work, you’ll never work a day in your life. If your work is your passion, your passion is not work.” For many years, his answering machine message always ended with “Thank you for calling, I’m here to help.”
Doc loved amateur photography and Iowa Hawkeye football (even though he graduated an Iowa State Cyclone, Iowa City was closer to attend home games). He and Jo enjoyed playing FreeCell on his iPad. Jo would thumb-wrestle over shared-effort games of this. A love of knowledge and learning was manifest by his passion for reading any newspaper he could get his hands on. He loved sharing knowledge with others and frequently hosted veterinary students from Iowa State University. Doc and Jo loved playing bridge and participated on a regular basis with close friends for over sixty years.
Doc was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church, Houghton, Iowa, the Houghton Knights of Columbus, and was a founding member of the Southeast Iowa Veterinary Association.
Doc and Jo had four children: Sherry Boeding (Steve), Steve (Jennifer), Cindy Hagan (Doug), and Sue Thomas (Eric). Their grandchildren include Amanda Merta (Travis), Sam Boeding (Shari), and Shane Boeding (partner Lydia and son Cailin), Jordan Freske (Adam) and Tyler Gunn, Stephanie Hagan (Doug Carmody) and Matt Hagan, and Avery, Lauren, and Lexi Thomas. Great-grandchildren include Jaxson and Briggs Merta and Rowan and Riley Boeding.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Joann, parents Bill and Fronie Shannon, and his brother Jim.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday December 14, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at St. John’s Catholic Church in Houghton Iowa, with burial service immediately after in St. John’s Cemetery. A luncheon will follow afterwards at the Knights of Columbus community building in Houghton. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Houghton Fire Department. Memorial arrangements are being handled by Barr Memorial Chapelhttps://www.barrmemorialchapel.com www.barrmemorialchapel.com