John Canning Obituary

John J. Canning
John J. Canning, age 83, of Westport, Connecticut and Palm Beach, Florida, died in Florida on February 11, 2025, with his loving daughters, Kris and Amy, by his side. He was the first of five children born in Schenectady, NY, to Robert and Mary Canning. The family moved to Greenwich, CT, and John graduated from St. Mary's High School in 1959. He went on to earn his B.A. from University of Rochester, where he was president of his fraternity (Delta Upsilon) and captain of the basketball team. After serving in the US Army, John earned his MBA from Ohio State University in 1968. This was followed by numerous moves (suburban Cleveland, Washington, DC, Boston, Atlanta) while he climbed the corporate ladder of General Electric.
Later in his corporate career, he held leadership positions at Pitney Bowes Credit Corporation, AT&T Capital, Tyco, and CIT.
John was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and enjoyed travel, boating, golf, and croquet.
Survivors include his loving wife, Rene Valentino Canning, devoted daughters, Kris Canning and husband Adam Wade of Los Angeles and Amy Arber and husband Ben Arber of Westport, CT; grandchildren, Malcolm and Iain Wade and Eloise and Hugo Arber; siblings, Molly Mead of Simsbury, CT, Kathleen Reilly of Hudson, OH, Constance Davis of Seattle, WA, and Robert Canning of Darien, CT; and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held at the Church of the Assumption in Westport on Saturday, March 1, at 10am. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in John's name to Homes with Hope, a Westport-based organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Fairfield County.