Tributes

O'Neil Hampton Cannon, Jack of All Trades, Master of Everything, Butt-Kicker, Storyteller Extraordinaire, Prankster, Lover of Life, Horry County Ambassador, Decorated Veteran, Daddy, and most beloved Poppy passed September 26, 2016. O'Neil was well known in the community as "the guy". He was the guy you called when you needed a laugh. He was the guy who could fix anything mechanical, and he was willing to accept whatever you could pay. He was the guy that would sell countless stacks of tickets for any charitable event (Shriners, Boosters, Kiwanis, VA, Trinity church) and then cook the food and do the work for the tickets he sold. He was a man's man who unabashedly allowed his three granddaughters to apply makeup on him, adorn his hair with ribbons and bows, paint his finger and toenails, then speak in a creative high-pitched British accent for their tea parties. He was the guy that made an unbelievable catch in a 1951 Shrine Bowl game. He was the guy that could make anything happen by using his will, his force, or his connections. O'Neil was the guy that lived every moment of his life as if it was a football game with only minutes left...he squeezed every single point out of it for his team. He loved his ladies....particularly his wife Erma who preceded him in death, his daughter Nancy and his three granddaughters of whom he was most proud, Emily, Madison, and Alice. He also loved and honored the life of his son Neil. O'Neil loved football (assuming his team won), saying something just for shock value, laughing, dancing (even before he had both knees replaced), buying tools instead of finding the one he owned in his garage, and spending time with his friends (both the reprobates and the principled ones). One of his favorite activities was picking bushels of tomatoes and delivering them to anyone that had even the slightest affection for them. His ability to tell a story rivaled that of Jerry Clower; most of O'Neil's outlandish tales were only slightly embellished because his actions were almost always unbelievable. There were only three things he truly hated: powdered eggs, pears and Isis. Conway was more than just his hometown; he saw the bigger picture and devoted his life to improving the lives of the people in it. His accomplishments, awards, and involvements in the community are too vast to mention. We are most proud, not of the expansive organizations he joined or of the plaques bestowed upon him, but of who he was as a person, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a friend. He is survived by his daughter Nancy, his granddaughters Emily, Madison, and Alice; his daughter-in-law, Kelley; and his brother Leonard and his wife Carol. He was preceded in death by his wife Erma, his son Neil, and his sister Elizabeth. Memorial services will be held at Trinity United Methodist church at 1:00 pm, Friday, September 30, 2016 officiated by Dr. William R. Childs. The family will receive visitors Thursday, September 29, 2016 from 5:00-7:00 pm at Goldfinch Funeral Home, Conway Chapel. Please sign an online guestbook at www.goldfinchfuneralhome.com Goldfinch Funeral Home, Conway Chapel is serving the family.

Tributes

O'Neil Hampton Cannon

November 16, 1932 - September 26, 2016