Cathy Lorraine Cannon

Cathy Lorraine Cannon, 75, of Pocatello, Idaho, passed away peacefully as solitarily and quietly as she lived her life on July 27, 2024 following complications in her recovery from heart surgery. Cathy was born on November 25, 1948 to her mother Norma Neuls Cannon and her father Douglas Eugene Cannon in Rapid City, South Dakota. Shortly after, the family moved to St. Maries, Idaho where she spent all of her years from infancy to adolescence. It was there within the family’s rural homestead that she developed a lifelong love of beautiful naturescapes and an extraordinary compassion for animals. 

After Cathy graduated from high school, she went on to study at the University of Idaho, where she met her former husband, Gary Ferguson. Together they had two daughters, Shauna and Brenda. While residing in American Falls, Cathy excelled in a handful of careers, including as a florist, using her masterful eye for design to create living art, as an activities director in the nursing home and coordinator for the Pink Ladies at Harms Memorial Hospital, and as an ever-eccentric and esteemed substitute teacher. In her spare time, Cathy devoted herself to her artistic endeavors as a member of several art and quilting clubs and teaching art lessons.

In the early 2000s, Cathy moved for a short time to Kalispell, Montana where she found her tribe. The friends she made there were truly lifetime friends who supported her throughout the rest of her life. Following her time in Kalispell, she settled in Burton, British Columbia along with her mother and father, whom she deeply adored and faithfully provided care for in the later years of their lives. Again, Cathy found herself living among the trees, creeks and rivers, enjoying the serene naturescapes which soothed her soul and inspired her creative spirit. 

 Over the past decade, Cathy spent quality time with both of her daughters, living in Scobey, Montana and then moving to Pocatello, Idaho and using her retirement to continually refine and improve her artistic endeavors. Throughout her life, she amassed a remarkable collection of original works, from quilts, appliques, embroidery, stuffed animals and afghans to sculptures, papier-mâché, sketching and watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings. Truly even simple sticks, grasses and rocks transformed into beautiful works of art when seen through her eyes. Cathy often used her gifts to create gifts for others, awarding her grandchildren and great-grandchildren quilts, blankets, and bears which she filled with “Grammy” snuggles and mended regularly until they resembled well-loved rags, having been dragged affectionately everywhere her “little children” went throughout their childhoods.

 An ever present and just below the surface playful nature was a hallmark of Cathy’s personality. She had a sharp sense of humor, a huge smile which she shared freely, an infectious laugh, and loved a good shenanigan. 

 Cathy was preceded in death by her mother, Norma and her father, Doug, her sister-in-law and friend, Donna Cannon, and an ex-husband, Don Tilden. Her memory is cherished by her daughters Shauna (Terry) Farver of Scobey, Montana and Brenda (Hank) Carter of Pocatello, Idaho; their father, Gary Ferguson, her grandchildren Kayla (Bradley) Cruz, Kailtin (Ryan) Switzer, Martin Farver, and Kensi (Jadon) Whitworth; her great-grandchildren, Landry, Jonah, and Swayzi; and her brothers, Gary Cannon, of St. Maries, Idaho, and Bruce (Gerri) Cannon, of Post Falls, Idaho. 

 Cathy couldn’t stand to see any animal suffer, adopting a multitude of small companions throughout her lifetime and most recently, collecting a family of feral cats and various birds which she loyally fed every night. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to be made to Bannock Feral Friends, a local non-profit animal rescue, in her honor. As a celebration of Cathy’s life and a tribute to her life's work, an art show displaying her collections will be held on Friday, October 11, 2024. Invitations will be sent to her family and friends.

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