Community Corner

Canton Attorney David Cannon Sr. Passes Away

Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Canton First United Methodist Church.

One of Cherokee County's most prominent attorneys has passed away.

David L. Cannon Sr., 65, died Sunday at Northside Hospital-Forsyth after a battle with cancer, son David Cannon Jr. told Patch late Monday afternoon.

The family will receive friends and visitors between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. today at Darby Funeral Home in downtown Canton.

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Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Canton First United Methodist Church, with Rev. Ed Towers, Rev. Jim McRae and Dr. C.R. Hill officiating. Cannon will also lie in state at the church for 30 minutes prior to the start of the funeral. Internment will take place at Cherokee Memorial Park.

Cannon said he was not expecting his father to pass away so soon. He noted he had been running his father's law practice in downtown Canton since June when his father suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. He said he'd been running the office as if he was expecting his father to recover.

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“We were not expecting it to happen this quickly," he said of his father's passing. "He was having treatments, but it was too aggressive and wasn’t responding to the treatment.”

The Cannons have had an outpouring of support from the Cherokee County community. Scores of people have left comments of condolences on Cannon's Facebook page, including many from the legal and law enforcement profession to regular citizens. 

Cherokee County District Attorney Garry Moss told Patch on Tuesday that Cannon "will be sorely missed."

"I can tell you that I probably tried the most difficult cases...against David over the years," he said. "He was a worthy opponent and was always prepared. He was very much an advocate of his clients.” 

Cannon was born in Canton in 1947 and did not immediately enter into the law profession. He first received a business degree from the University of Georgia during the 1970s, and later received his law degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law in 1982. He started his practice in Canton, which focused specifically on criminal defense and family law. 

He served as the municipal court judge for the city of Holly Springs for 23 years and was president of the Cherokee County Bar Association (now known as the Blue Ridge Bar Association) in 1990. Georgia Trend Magazine once named Cannon as one of the top attorneys in Georgia.

Cannon said his father "felt strongly" about providing quality legal representation to the less fortunate and helped create the county's Office of Indigent Defense. 

Cannon, who lived in Waleska, is survived by wife Michelle Cannon of Waleska; son David Cannon Jr. of Canton; daughter Deanna Adkins of Canton; brother James E. Cannon of Flowery Branch; sisters Judy Bishop and Linda Bailey, both of Canton. He's is also survived by four grandchildren. 

Cannon, who was recently elected as the newest Cherokee County Superior Court judge said, said Cherokee County will remember his father for his "professionalism." Cannon said his father always treated fellow lawyers, police officers and sheriff's deputies with respect, even when he cross examined individuals.

He also said his father enjoyed being a small-town lawyer who worked hard on every case.

“He’s going to be missed and I’m going to miss him terribly," Cannon said. "I was looking forward to him being able to brag in the courthouse about me sitting on the bench. I know he’ll get to see that, but not in the way I was expecting.”


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