MILES C. CANNON

Miles C. Cannon of Barrington Miles C. Cannon, 72, died Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010, at home, surrounded by the love of his immediate family, following an extended battle with cancer. He devoted his life to God, family and friends. Visitation for Miles will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main St. (Lake-Cook Road), Barrington. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, at Lutheran Church of the Atonement, 909 E. Main St., Barrington. Interment will be held on Wednesday at Hills of Rest Memorial Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. Miles was born March 18, 1937, in Denver, Colo., to Arch and Josephine Cannon. His early years were spent at The Barlow School in Amenia, N.Y., he graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. He served in the Army Signal Corps in San Simeon, Calif. Following his discharge, Miles embarked on his relentless pursuit of adventure: downhill ski racing in Colorado, Porsche races in southern California and sailboat regattas off the coast of New Jersey. His professional endeavors brought him to Sioux Falls, S.D., where he met the love of his life, Jeanne E. Bauman. The couple was married on March 2, 1968. In 1971, Miles started as a salesman in Minneapolis, Minn. with Howmedica Inc., an orthopedic implant company and division of Pfizer; in 1975 he served as national sales manager in Rutherford, N.J. In 1977, he became a distributor for the company and founded Howmedica-Cannon Associates, Inc. in Elk Grove Village. Known by his employees as "Mr. C," Miles was an accomplished businessman who is loved and respected for his wisdom, warmth and generous spirit. He retired in 1996. Miles' passion was aviation; he was most content in the cockpit of an airplane, his favorite being his Malibu Mirage. Earning his private pilot license in 1985, Miles took to the sky at every opportunity. He used the following excerpt from a John G. Magee Jr. poem to best describe the spiritual high that flying fulfilled in his life: "Up, up the long delirious burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace, where never lark or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand, and touched the face of God." When he wasn't in the air, you could find Miles on the ground at his Skylane Ranch overlooking the bluffs of the Missouri River in Chamberlain, S.D. Established in 1987, his ranch became a place of conservation for nature and wildlife, as well as family history and traditions. A 32-year resident of Barrington, Miles was an active member of the Lutheran Church of Atonement. He was also a dedicated volunteer at Good Shepherd Hospital, an avid supporter of Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots (LAMP), a volunteer for Lifeline Pilots and founding member of the Barrington chapter of Ducks Unlimited. Miles is survived by his wife, Jeanne of Barrington; his daughter, Alicia Alfano (Anthony) of Chicago; his son, Trevor (Kristin) of Wauconda; and his three grandchildren, Tessa and Dominic Alfano and Elkey Cannon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lutheran Church of Atonement Building Fund, 909 E. Main St., Barrington, IL 60010 or LAMP Ministry Inc., P.O. Box 480167, New Haven, MI 48048. Visit www.Davenportfamily.com, where online condolences can be left for his family. For information, 847-381-3411.