Monica Ellen Daly Cannon was born in Queens, NY on September 21, 1935 to Catherine Murnane Daly and John Joseph Daly. The third child of her Irish immigrant parents, she grew up in Queens, NY and Interlaken, NY. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Dr. James A. Cannon, and her siblings Maureen Hollingsworth of Sarasota, FL and Dan Daly of Shrewsbury, MA. She was a loyal daughter, sister, and much beloved wife, mother and grandmother.As a girl, Monica excelled in school and was a life-long lover of reading and learning. After graduating from Walton high school, she began working for IBM, and attending night classes at Hunter College. Monica became friends with her IBM co-worker, Mary Cannon. When visiting her friend Mary, Monica met Mary’s older brother Jimmy. As he told their children, Jim’s first reaction to meeting his wife-to-be was “Wow!” For their first date Jimmy took her to see “West Side Story” on Broadway.
Jim and Monica married on June 30, 1962 and settled in Jackson Heights. Their first child was born a year later, followed by four more. Monica graduated from Hunter College in 1964 amid embarking on the challenges of raising children, working part time and supporting her husband’s career and doctoral studies. Monica and Jim moved to Mamaroneck in 1967, and later moved their family of seven to Pleasantville, NY. When their oldest three children graduated from high school, Jim and Monica moved with their two youngest children to Rye, NY. Monica was an enthusiastic supporter of her children, and especially enjoyed family vacations.
In 1977, Monica launched her successful career as a real estate agent in Westchester County, becoming a consistent top producer among her peers. In her fifties, she chose a new direction, graduating from CUNY Law School and being seated with the NY State Bar Association in 1994. She would be engaged in her second career, working for the City of New York, until her early seventies. She found her work as a legal child advocate particularly rewarding.
Monica delighted in thirteen grandchildren whom she loved dearly: Sean Dunn, Austin Dunn, Sarah Furfaro, Emily Furfaro, Caroline Cannon, Allie Cannon, Ryan Murray, Katie Murray and Christopher Murray, Mary Cannon, Grace Cannon, James Cannon Jr and William Cannon.
In their later years, Monica was an attentive and tireless caregiver to her husband Jim for nearly a decade, before he passed away in 2020.
Monica enjoyed her Irish heritage and was an avid traveler. Always curious about what the world had to offer, she encouraged her family to set out to see the world and delighted in news of their adventures when she was no longer able to journey herself. A woman ahead of her time in so many ways, when she decided to do something, she went ahead and did it. In this way her spirit lives on as an example to those who know and love her.
Monica is survived by her brother and sister in law Audrey and Michael Daly of Tampa, FL, brother John Daly of Ashburn, VA, her children and their spouses: Cathy and Jose Antunes of Sarasota, FL, Peter Cannon of Tuckahoe, NY, Mary Anne and Peter Furfaro of Ridgefield, CT, Susan and Jimmy Cannon of Rye, NY and Christine and John Murray of Plymouth, MA, her thirteen grandchildren, and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins who brought joy and richness to her life.
The family will receive friends at the Graham Funeral Home on Friday, December 12, 2025 from 4:00-7:00 PM. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Saturday December 13, 2025 at 10:00 AM at The Church of the Resurrection in Rye, NY.
