Louise Ann Cannon

Louise Ann Cannon (née Kreps), aged 75, passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 26, 2024,
in Provo, Utah. Born on July 8, 1949, in Whittier, California, Louise navigated life with
enthusiasm, humor, and loving kindness. Her generosity, selflessness, and passion for sharing
joy with others has touched the lives of many.
A memorial service to celebrate Louise's life will be held on Saturday, August 3rd at Walker
Sanderson Funeral Home, located at 646 East 800 North, Orem, Utah. The viewing will
commence at 10am, followed by the funeral at 11am. At the conclusion of the memorial services,
attendees are invited to gather for the dedication of Louise's grave at Provo Cemetery, 610 South
State Street, Provo (West side).
Louise is survived by her loving husband, Lynn Cannon, seven children (Thora Sutton, Elizabeth
Romeril, Heather Brown, Mardelle Means, David Cannon, Benjamin Cannon, Jacob Cannon),
twenty-five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and her sister, Donna Fanning. She is
preceded in death by her granddaughter, Karina Cannon.
Louise was raised in a loving, Christian home by her parents, David Robert and Rozalya Grace
(Sargent) Kreps. The second of two children, Louise grew up alongside her older sister, Donna,
in a home built by her father in the small town of Brea in Southern California. A classic tomboy,
Louise loved to play outdoors and participate in sports. Both of Louise's parents were high
school teachers, and this allowed the family to spend the summers camping and traveling.
Louise also went on bowhunting trips with her dad, and learned archery from him. In addition
to her love of nature, Louise had an affinity for music. Blessed with perfect pitch, she had a
beautiful singing voice and taught herself to play the guitar in high school.
After graduating from Brea-Olinda High School, Louise studied for a year at Chapman College
and then earned an associate's degree at Fullerton College. It was around this time that Louise
was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was baptized on February
12th, 1972, and moved to Utah that same year to continue her studies at Brigham Young
University. She struggled to find the right major at first, trying Music, Anthropology, and
Archaeology before settling on Youth Leadership, a course which allowed her to spend a lot of
time camping outdoors and enjoying "God's natural earth."
While studying at BYU, Louise was called to serve as the "mother" of her student Family Home
Evening group. The unsuspecting grad student called to be the "father" of the group would
eventually become her husband. Lynn asked Louise out on a first date, and exactly two weeks
later they were engaged to be married. As evidenced in both of their contemporaneous journals,
they exchanged original poetry and enjoyed hiking, running, and listening to music together.
Although the wedding had to wait for a month while Louise completed BYU's wilderness
survival program in Southern Utah, Louise was finally sealed to her sweetheart in the Provo
Temple on September 8th, 1973.
Louise was eager to start a family with Lynn, and she didn't have long to wait. On November
20th, 1973, she wrote in her journal, "one of the most exciting things that can happen to a
person has happened to us We're going to add a new spirit to the world." Their first daughter,
Thora Ann, was born on June 6th, 1974, and six more children followed over the next twelve
years. Elizabeth Grace came after the family of three moved to Escondido, California; Heather
Lee was born while Louise and Lynn were living in Brea with Louise's parents; and Mardelle
Louise came along shortly after the growing family moved into a small house in Provo, Utah.
Following the birth of the couple's first son, David Jonathan, they added four more bedrooms
and two more bathrooms onto the house. Louise gave birth to a second son, Benjamin Lynn, the
next year. Although Louise and Lynn had decided that six children would complete their family,
Louise received three separate impressions of a dark-eyed, dark-haired boy waiting to make
them a family of nine. She also knew what his name would be. Jacob Nephi arrived on
September 16th, 1986. The little brick house on 500 North in Provo became the Cannon family
home, and the place where Louise raised and nurtured all seven of her children, as well as a few
"adopted" sons. Lynn and Louise stayed there until 2008, when they moved to Abilene, Texas.
After her children were grown, Louise continued to gain new family members as each of her
children married, loving and welcoming each new son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and grandbaby.
She became a great grandmother in 2021, when Thora's oldest daughter, Sierra, gave birth to
baby Ellis, and Louise was overjoyed to welcome her second great grandson, Everett, in 2023.
Louise greatly desired to be a wife and a mother, and although she sacrificed much to care for
her large family, she never regretted prioritizing her children. Her commitment to motherhood
and homemaking didn't prevent her from pursuing many other interests, however. Louise was a
six-time marathon runner, and ran numerous other races alongside Lynn and her daughter,
Heather. Utilizing her experience and skills as an outdoorswoman, Louise took her own family
on many camping and fishing excursions and served countless years as a Young Women's Camp
leader and teacher in both Utah and Texas. She also found a way to help people with her musical
talents, creating and performing "Let Your Nose Crinkle," a musical program designed to
encourage and strengthen her listeners. Louise was cast as "Golda" in a community production
of "Fiddler on the Roof," and participated in various choirs and musical performances
throughout her life. She learned to make clay pottery, ride horses, and scuba dive. Eventually,
she went back to BYU and completed her Bachelor of Science, and then went on to earn a Master
of Education in Educational Leadership. Starting in 2013, Louise served 18-months as a full-
time missionary with Lynn in upstate New York, in and around early Church history sites.
Most importantly, Louise loved her Heavenly Father and her Savior, Jesus Christ. As she
negotiated the many obstacles and challenges of her life, she consistently trusted in God and His
plan for her. She was a beautiful example of Christ-like love, sacrifice, and service. She loved the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, and served in many Church callings throughout her life, including early
morning seminary teacher. She ministered to all within her reach, helping family, friends,
neighbors, and others who were lost, neglected, or suffering.
Back in 1973, her soon-to-be husband put it this way in his journal:
"Louise is [that] kind of thoughtful, unselfish, unspoiled person; [she is] very easy to love."
This apt description of Louise–given by a young man on the verge of asking his future wife on a
first date–is a fitting elegy. All who knew her must have felt at least an inkling of the same
sentiment. She carried those qualities throughout her life and combined them with her many
gifts and talents to bless the lives of others. There is no doubt that she is sharing joy and
comforting hearts in the next life, continuing her work with grace and compassion.