Elizabeth "Betty" Shannon

Elizabeth "Betty" Shannon
Elizabeth "Betty" Helen Shannon of Stratford, a devoted mother to her six children and a beloved grandmother to eleven more, died with family by her side at Bridgeport Hospital on Oct. 3, 2025. She was 92. She was born to James and Elizabeth Skerritt in Bridgeport on Oct. 24, 1932. She grew up there and graduated from the city's Harding High School. She then went through the St. Vincent's Hospital nursing training program and became a registered nurse. Upon graduation, she worked at the hospital. Later, she would tell stories about the strict St. Vincent's nuns to her misbehaving children. Betty married John "Jack" Edward Shannon, also of Bridgeport, on June 29, 1957. Their first daughter, Mary, arrived in 1958. Their sixth and last child, David, was born in 1968. Besides a short stint in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, the Shannons raised their children in and around Bridgeport, eventually settling in Huntington. All six attended college, and when those tuition bills started piling up, Betty went back to work as an administrator at knife company Forschner. The Shannons retired to a condo in Stratford in 1998. Betty loved reading and was a part of two separate book clubs. She also enjoyed traveling, especially to see the horses run with her husband and friends at Saratoga Race Course and to visit her grandchildren scattered farther afield. A devout Catholic, she was a member of St. Mark Church in Stratford. Betty kept in touch with friends, including those from nursing school. She also loved having her family over and regaling her grandchildren with stories of the misadventures of their parents. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and her parents-in-law, Irving and Louise Shannon. She is survived by her six children, Mary and Jarett Crooks of Littleton, Colorado; James Shannon of Waverly, Tennessee; Michael Shannon of West Hartford; Timothy and Colleen Shannon of Frederick, Maryland; Meghan Shannon and Jose Davila of Stratford; and David and Amy Shannon of Litchfield, and eleven grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, October 20 at Noon 12:00 p.m., meeting directly in St. Mark Church, 500 Wigwam Lane, Stratford, CT 06614. Interment will follow in St. Michael's Cemetery, Stratford. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105. To send online condolences, please visit www.redgatehennessy.com