GEORGE H. BANNON

BANNON, GEORGE H., 89, of Warwick, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on November 24, 2019. He was the beloved husband of 58 years to Elizabeth M. (Coffua) Bannon. Born in West Warwick, he was a son of the late John F. and Helen (Sayles) Bannon.

George served his country honorably for four years in the United States Navy.  He served aboard the USS Daly destroyer during the Korean War from 1950-1954 and completed an around-the-world cruise as part of Task Force 77.   George was awarded the Korean Service Medal and was part of the USS Daly crew that received a battle star for wartime service.  He was a proud veteran and supporter of military families.

George was an exceptional athlete and a life-long lover of all sports. He was an amateur boxer and captured the Junior New England 112 pound boxing championship in 1946. He retired in 1948 with only 3 loses, the last of which was to George Araujo for the Rhode Island Featherweight Championship. In high school, George was a multi-sport athlete lettering in bowling, basketball and serving as captain and coach of the golf team that captured the state title in 1948.  Golf was his true love in sports and he played up until last year shooting his age at 88. George was also a CYO basketball referee for many years. 

George worked at Bostitch as a receiving clerk for 33 years and was an active member of the Gibson Council Knights of Columbus. 

He was the devoted father of Brenda Ricci (Ernie) of North Kingstown, RI; Pamela Kelly (Michael) of Wantagh, NY; and Robert Bannon (Traci Fletcher) of St. Johns, FL. He was the loving brother of Eleanor Keating, Mary Burke, Sally Graham, the late John Bannon, Jr. and the late James Bannon and the cherished uncle of many nieces and nephews. George was the very proud grandfather of Stefanie Bannon; Michael Kelly (Marissa); Lauren Ricci; Megan Bannon; Dr. Nicole Kelly; CPT Matthew Ricci, MD; Casey Bannon; 1LT Jonathan Ricci; Alyssa Kelly; and Riley Bannon. 

George will be remembered as a man of great faith who lived humbly devoting his life to family and supporting those less fortunate through his many charitable contributions and random acts of kindness. It wasn’t unusual for George to buy an inexpensive baseball glove and drop it off at the local PAL for a child in need or put together a starter set of golf clubs for an aspiring golfer. He was a faithful servant of his Lord. 

George’s family would like to thank, in a special way, the healthcare teams at the Boston VA Hospital and Hope Hospice for their love and compassionate care. 

His Funeral will be held Monday, December 2, 2019 at 10:00 AM from the Iannotti Funeral Home at MAPLE ROOT, 2000 Nooseneck Hill Rd. (Rte.3), Coventry, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am in St. Catherine’s Church, 3252 Post Road, Warwick.  Interment and committal prayers with full Military Honors will follow in the RI Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, Exeter.  Visiting Hours will be held on Sunday, December 1, 2019 from 3:00 – 6:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations made to Little Sisters of the Poor, 964 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860 and Boys Town, PO Box 8000, Boys Town, NE 68010 would be appreciated. 

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