A Beautiful Mind - The Life of Tom Canon

Thomas William Canon, age 76, a resident of Carol Stream, IL, died Tuesday, April 22, 2014, in Harlingen, TX. He was born July 18, 1937 in Yonkers, NY to Winifred and William Canon. He was the youngest of three brothers. The family moved to Detroit in 1941. Tom graduated from Wayne State University on a full ride scholarship in 1959 with a degree in Accounting and a minor in Economics. He enlisted into the Army and trained at Ft. Sill Oklahoma for 6 months, and then was in the Air Force Reserves for 6 years before receiving an honorable discharge. During his twenties, Tom worked for Arthur Anderson in Jackson, Michigan. Tom was a passionate and devout evangelical Christian. He took this passion and combined it with his business acumen to help his brother, Jim, with a company called Double Sixteen, and moved to Wheaton, Illinois. The company produced "Canon Bible Programs" that were used on the GE Show N' Tell Phono-Viewers. Double Sixteen sold almost 2 million copies of these programs containing 66 Bible Stories to over 30,000 churches across the country between 1966-1981.

In 1976, Tom was diagnosed with manic/depression. After several years of dealing with it, Tom made the decision to embrace it and even Thanked God for it. He felt it gave him the ability to create and develop ideas in order to make the world a better place. Over the years, Tom had several patents granted and was constantly working on projects until the day he died. Tom's body was discovered in a vacation home in Harlingen, Texas, Tuesday April 22, 2014. Since Easter, or as Tom called it "Resurrection Sunday", was his favorite holiday, the family believes he could have made his transition into Heaven on Resurrection Sunday morning.

Tom always brought his own uniqueness to every person and situation. His love and zest for life, is what his fans, friends and family will remember as his legacy. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jim (wife Marge). He is survived by his brother, Dan (wife Margaret) in Wheaton; two sons, Todd (wife Kathy) in Atlanta and Joel in San Francisco, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Tom Canon's Life Celebration Service is being held on Saturday, May 17th at 2:00 p.m. at College Church , 332 E. Seminary Ave., in Wheaton, IL with a reception to follow. The family will host a visitation just prior to the service from 1-2 p.m. Interment will be private at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested all donations to go to Valley Baptist Missions Education Center , 3700 E Harrison Ave Suite 100, Harlingen, TX 78550.