William Shannon

William Douglas """"Bill"""" Shannon, 71, of Gulfport passed away Friday, June 5, 2009.
He was born Sept. 2, 1937 in Rushville, NE. Mr. Shannon served his country in the U.S. Air Force from 1955 until 1967 and later in the U. S. Navy from 1967 until 1975 when he retired. He was a Vietnam War Veteran. Mr. Shannon went on to further serve his country working for the V. A. where he later retired to Gulfport. Prior to his illness, he was employed by Swetman Security. He was a member of Bel-Aire Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Bessie Shannon.
He is survived by his wife, Nell Combest-Shannon, daughters Lori (Jeff) Mavity of Sherwood, AR and Cherrie (Glenn) Oliver of Philadelphia, PA; son Douglas (Nancy) Shannon of Little Rock, AR; stepdaughters Paula Kegley of Tallahassee, FL and Kay (Mike) Hill of Gulfport; 8 grandchildren and 7 step-grandchildren; 1 great grandchild; 1 step-great grandchild.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 on Friday, June 19th, at Bel-Aire Baptist Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Bel-Aire Baptist Church Building Fund, 15080 Dedeaux Rd., Gulfport, MS 39503.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Canon Hospice.
The RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, Gulfport, assisted the family with arrangements.
A guestbook may be signed at www.riemannfamily.com