Pauline Hannon

Hannon, Pauline B. 1/24/1919 - 2/1/2016 Kalamazoo Pauline Hannon died peacefully of natural causes on Monday, February 1, 2016 having just celebrated her 97th birthday wrapped in the love of her family. She was born Pauline Bertha Ott, the second of four children of Fred Ott and Pauline Rose Ott (Maier), on January 24, 1919 in Detroit, MI. The Great Depression ended her father's construction business, and they moved to the family's farm in Howell, MI. Pauline graduated from Howell High School and then, in 1940, graduated from Eastern Michigan College with B.A. in English. During World War II, she taught at Grand Blanc, MI where she met and, in 1943, married fellow teacher Herbert H. Hannon. After the war, the couple briefly lived in Benton Harbor, MI where Herb Hannon taught at the junior college. Daughter Betty Rae Hannon (Yagi) was born there in 1946, shortly after which the young family moved to Kalamazoo where Herbert Hannon had secured a faculty position in math education at Western Michigan College. In 1949 Pauline gave birth to her second daughter, Marjorie Kay Hannon (Pifer). Pauline devoted her greatest attention to managing the family and raising her daughters in an environment of love and Christian values. She worked many years for Western Michigan University's post office. Pauline enjoyed a wide array of lifelong friends from Westwood Methodist Church, University Dames, Western Michigan University Math Department, Westwood Garden Club and various bridge clubs, but her greatest joy was nurturing her children into active caring adults. In all things she was a gracious hostess and a kind, caring friend. For the last 21 years she has lived comfortably at the Fountains at Bronson Place retirement community in Kalamazoo. Nothing gave her greater pleasure in recent years than watching her grandchildren mature into caring young adults with careers and families of their own. Her entire family, including two great granddaughters, came together to celebrate her recent birthday. Her beloved husband of 62 years, Herbert Hannon, and her older sister, Beatrice Marr, preceded her in death. Pauline is survived by her two younger brothers Ken and Carl Ott (Howell, MI); her daughter Betty Hannon Yagi (Kalamazoo), son-inlaw Yoshihiko Yagi, and grandson Brian Yagi (Ann Arbor, MI); daughter Marjorie Hannon Pifer (Madison, WI), son-in-law Richard Pifer, granddaughter Rebecca Hinze-Pifer (Chicago, IL), her wife Amy Hinze-Pifer and great granddaughter Margaret Elizabeth Hinze-Pifer; grandson Christopher Pifer (Atlanta, GA), his wife Sadie Forsythe and great granddaughter Amalia Hope Forsythe-Pifer. A memorial service will be held Sunday February 28 at 2:00 at Westwood United Methodist Church with a reception at the Fountains at Bronson Place at 4:30. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Western Michigan University Foundation for the Herbert H. Hannon Scholarship Fund (1903 West Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008) or the Westwood Methodist Church Foundation (538 Nichols Rd, Kalamazoo, MI 49006).