Funeral services were held last week for John (Buddy) Shannon, a Massapequa Park Village businessman who died after being struck by a car in Massapequa Park, Saturday, March 26.

Mr. Shannon was 77 years old and opened his hardware store on Park Boulevard, Pequa Hardware, in 1980 after a long and distinguished career as a design engineer. He was remembered by his business colleagues in this community as a kind man with a wonderful sense of humor.

"Everyone in our community who knew him will miss him," said Carol Leff, president of the Massapequa Park Merchants Association, of which Mr. Shannon was a member.

Mr. Shannon was born and raised in Glendale, New York. He attended Brooklyn Tech and Pratt Institute and graduated with a degree in design engineering. He worked for CBS, Gibbs & Cox and then for Dyna Empire where he designed stereophonic equipment and was in charge of production.

In the late 1970s, when the market in the United States was flooded with stereophonic equipment from Japan and other countries, Mr. Shannon saw an opportunity to do what he had dreamed of doing for many years—open and operate his own business with his wife Lorraine. The couple were married 54 years.

"It was something that he always wanted to do and he loved the community and the surrounding area and thought Massapequa Park was the perfect place to have a business," said his son-in-law, Larry Meli.

An avid reader, he’d often be reading 4 or five books at a time and was a fontain of information, particularly about geography.

"He knew where ever major city in every major country in the world was," said his son in law. "He also loved great music and was a splendid family man, someone you could always go to for advice."

Mr. Shannon lived first in Glendale and then in Hicksville, and subsequently moved to Brookville where he resided at the time of his death. In addition to his wife and son-in-law, Mr. Shannon is survived by his children, Robert and his wife Terri of Massapequa; Jack and his wife Louise of Jericho and Leslie Meli of Potomac, Maryland. His grandchildren, Robbie, Matthew Timothy, Lauren and John Shannon, and John, Peter and James Meli also survive him, as do his sisters, Patricia Ackerly of North Miami Beach, Florida and Virginia McCarthy of Pennsylvania. He also leaves a host of nieces, nephews, friends and colleagues.

Mr. Shannon reposed at the Dalton Funeral Home, Hicksville where services were held Thursday, March 31. A funeral mass was said at St. Paul the Apostle R.C. Church, Brookville on Friday and burial followed in Locust Valley Cemetery. The family has requested that donations in Mr. Shannon’s name be made to a Tsunami relief fund.