Charles Henry Shannon of Merritt Island passed peacefully Sunday after a short illness. He was 83.
Raised on a dairy farm near Seattle, Washington, Charles spent the past 24 years living on the Space Coast. In his younger years, Charles served honorably in the U.S. Army, seeing active combat in the Korean War. He was a graduate of the University of Washington and spent most of his life making the most of his mechanical engineering degree.
Known to his friends as Charlie, and his family as Charlie-Pops, in his retirement years he was an active member of the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees (NAARFW), serving as District 3 Vice President for a number of years. An enthusiastic participant in local and state Democratic politics and a true patriot, Charlie was active in supporting many local Democratic campaigns.
He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Edna Shannon of Merritt Island; daughters Valerie Aliski of Portland, OR, and Sylvia Johnson of Napa, CA; son Stephen Shannon of Portland, OR; stepdaughters Jill Giles of Port St. John and Val Tensen of Roanoke, VA; and seven grandchildren.

Services will be held Friday, July 25, at 4:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Port St. John.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Health First Hospice of Palm Bay.