Connie Gannon read 3,000 books from the Mountain View Library during the 30 years she lived in her adopted hometown, but she moved 3,000 miles across the U.S. just to get there.
Hailing from Westfield, NJ, Connie Gannon “retired” to Mountain View at age 69. When she was told “No one retires to Silicon Valley,” Connie responded, “I know, that’s why I am still working.”
And work she did, until she finally retired at age 94. Connie’s favorite and last job was selling subscriptions for TheatreWorks in Mountain View, where she was an amazing, persistent top saleswoman.
Connie joined the Los Altos, Los Altos Hills Newcomers Club – now known as the Los Altos Hills Club – when she arrived in 1994. There she met her book club, bridge group and formed friendships that continued for decades. Connie was an avid reader and would devour a book on any topic within a day or two. She was an active member of the Mountain View women’s tennis team for 15 years, where she played at Cuesta Park as a double’s player. The only time she didn’t mind getting up early was for her 9 a.m. tennis game on Mondays.
Her favorite hangouts were at the pool at Park Place or on a beach anywhere. Connie volunteered at El Camino Hospital and for the Mountain View Art and Wine Festival for many years. She enjoyed the discussions at the weekly current events meeting. Connie had a competitive nature and enjoyed playing cards and games. She read The New York Times and did the crossword puzzle every day.
As an eldest child, Constance S. Kiepe, was born in Newark, NJ, on April 26, 1925, to Harriette Hendrickson and Edwin Albert Kiepe. She graduated from West Orange High School in 1942 and was friends with future NJ Governor Brendan Byrne and future husband John Francis “Bud” Gannon. During WWII, she worked at Hughes Aircraft as a secretary by day and enjoyed many dates with GIs in New York City by night. After the war, she worked at law firms and modeled through Barbizon.
Connie and John Gannon married in 1950, and they had four daughters during the decade: Sally, Nancy, Susan and Jane. They moved to Westfield in 1965 for the schools and the Westfield Tennis Club, where Connie played until she moved to California in 1994. Connie loved her four daughters and sons-in-law, and she had a special love and bond with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Sally Gannon Leitch, Connie’s eldest daughter, was a teacher and college counselor at St. Francis High School in Mountain View for 25 years. She and her husband Dan Holden lived in Los Altos and preceded Connie in death.
In honor of Connie and Sally, the Gannon family purchased a table and set of chairs for the Mountain View Library in their memory. The table for two is strategically placed at a window overlooking the park with a view of Connie’s apartment in the distance. A dedication plaque was placed on the table welcoming the community to sit and enjoy a book and the view, as Connie and Sally did so many times together.
Mountain View Mayor Pat Showalter signed a certificate of appreciation to the Gannon Family “in recognition of its generous donation to the City of Mountain View for a table plaque in memory of Connie Gannon and Sally Gannon Leitch at the Mountain View Public Library.”
Library board member Nicole Vogt said, “It is always heartening to see the relationships that members of our community have with the library, and the ways they find to extend that grace and help others to build such experiences in the future. These kind acts strengthen the foundation of the library itself.”
