One Plant City resident had a major centennial celebration Saturday, Jan. 16.
Ellen Ethel Cannon, who has lived in Plant City since she was 14, turned 100 Friday, Jan. 15. The following day she celebrated with a birthday bash at the Health Center of Plant City, where she has lived since 2014.
“It was a day I’ll never forget,” Cannon said. “It was really a turnout.”
Cannon’s party had over 100 guests, including her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After becoming ill before Christmas, Cannon was able to celebrate her milestone in good health. To mark the occasion, she was presented with proclamations from Mayor Rick Lott and Rep. Dan Raulerson, of the Florida House of Representatives.
THE BIRTHDAY GIRL
Cannon was born in 1916 to Bert and Clarice Knight Clendening in Champaign, Illinois.
The eldest of 12 children, Cannon enjoyed picking flowers, planting and gardening, and embroidering and sewing her own clothes.
She married her late husband, Shelly Alonzo Cannon, on Aug. 20, 1939, in Plant City. Four years after having their first child, they bought a home on 13 acres of land near Cork Road.
The couple went on to have five children, and Cannon took care of her children and worked in the fields of the family’s home.
In 1947, Cannon turned to faith. She became a member of Bethany Baptist Church in Cork and became active in her congregation. Until 1980, she worked in the church’s nursery and taught children in Sunday school. As her children grew older and got married, Cannon enjoyed celebrating birthdays, holidays and family reunions with them and their larger broods.
Now, Cannon is a grandmother to nine and a great-grandmother to 12. Her faith is something that she hopes to pass on to the younger generations.
“Be a child of God,” Cannon said. “That is the most important thing.”
She’s taught them to have fun too. Cannon has rescued three dogs — Becky, Annie and Sammy — who have been her companions later in life.
In 1989, Cannon traveled to Germany where she visited family and enjoyed the scenic countryside.
Her spirit has carried on with her age. At 80, she hopped on the back of a motorcycle.
To this day, Cannon is a bit of a jokester. She wasn’t able to determine the single craziest thing she’s ever done, but she was able to name her greatest accomplishment.
“Just trying to behave,” she said.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
HOW SHE DID IT
A woman of faith, Ellen Cannon only has one secret to making it to the triple digits.
“Just God,” she said.