John E. Shannon Jr. (Jack) was welcomed into eternal life on Oct. 4, 2019.  Jack was born March 11, 1927 in Milwaukee, the first of five children of John E. Shannon and Eleanor Mitchell Shannon.  Jack grew up in Milwaukee attending grade school at St. Sebastian’s and high school at St. John’s.  Jack entered the Navy at the tail end of WWII, serving as a radioman on a destroyer.   When the hostilities ceased, Jack was stationed in Sasebo, Japan.  After his Naval service, Jack returned to Wisconsin.  He attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, graduating in 1952 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.  Prior to graduating, Jack married Josette M. Eichstedt in 1951.  In 1954, Jack graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School and he and Josette moved to Stevens Point where Jack practiced law for more than 50 years.  Jack and Jo raised four children in Stevens Point:  Jane, John, Bob and Bill.  Jack was a community leader and served on the City Council for two terms.  A lifelong believer in volunteerism, Jack served his profession by acting on numerous committee positions for the Portage County Bar Association, State Bar of Wisconsin and the Supreme Court Board of Attorneys Professional Responsibility where he adjudicated disciplinary proceedings involving attorneys.  He was a founding member of the Community Parks Improvement Committee and helped found the Stevens Point Post 6 American Legion Baseball Program in Stevens Point, serving as its first President and helping bring the American Legion World Series to Bukolt Park in 1987.  He was inducted into the American Legion Hall of Fame in 2014.  Jack loved his family, his profession, his community and his many friends and colleagues.

Jack was preceded in death by his wife, Josette, his mother and father, his brothers Thomas and Jerry Shannon.  Jack is survived by his daughter, Jane Gardinier, his sons John (Connie), Bob (Ann) and Bill (Cindy), his brother James Shannon, his sister Anne McKoy, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A Christian mass will be held in Jack’s honor at the Fort Snelling Chapel, 1 Tower Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55450, on the 18^th day of October, 2019 at 11 a.m. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. The mass will be followed by interment with Military Honors at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial gifts be sent to the Stevens Point Post 6 American Legion Baseball Program at PO Box 984, Stevens Point, WI 54481 or a charity of your choice.