Joseph Pierce Gannon, Jr.

Joseph Pierce Gannon, Jr.
Obituary

Joseph was known to most people as “JP” or “Pierce”. He was born in Visalia on August 20, 1919 and passed away peacefully on Friday, January 11, 2013 while in the California Veterans Home in Yountville, California. He was 93 years old.
JP graduated from high school at 16 years old and worked in a gas station for a year before enrolling at UCLA - where he completed his Liberal Arts Degree and was president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. After UCLA, he completed Stanford Law School – and then entered the war. JP was a Captain in the US Army Air Corps during WWII, and later earned a degree in Finance from Duke University in North Carolina. To use all of his education and experience he settled in to a career in Finance. He worked as a stock broker, investment banker, and as an independent financial consultant. Though JP grew up in Visalia he later lived in Calgary, Canada; Fresno CA and Newport Beach CA; and travelled worldwide. He enjoyed his affiliations with the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, the Beverly Hills Club, the Balboa Bay Club, and the Newport Beach Tennis Club.
JP was born to Pierce and Irene Gannon; two people he deeply loved and respected throughout his life. Pierce Sr. had moved from Sebastopol, California to Visalia in 1906, worked 50 years for Security Title, and served as Visalia’s mayor during Roosevelt’s term as US President.
In 1985 JP moved back to Visalia to take care of his aging father – in the same home his parents purchased in 1923. JP’s mother passed away in 1970 and Pierce Sr. passed away in 1994. JP maintained the family residence in Visalia up until his death. In his final years JP received care by the Veteran’s Administration in Fresno, Palo Alto and Yountville. JP is survived by three step-children of his second wife, Avis Beiden Gannon; including Jim Beiden of Belmont CA, Lynette Beiden of San Francisco CA , and Ron Beiden, his wife Jacqui, and their sons Seth and Gabriel of Santa Rosa CA.
The Yountville Veterans Home will have a memorial service on February 14th for veterans who passed away in January. JP’s ashes will be buried in Visalia next to his mother, father, and Avis Beiden Gannon. Ron, Jacqui and Lynette express their gratitude to the Veteran’s Administration for all their medical and spiritual care for JP over the past seven years. Donations may be made to your local county Veteran’s Services Office.