Joseph W. Shannon

Joseph William Shannon of Kent, Ohio died in the early morning hours of November 28, 2025. He was born in Akron on November 1, 1939, the eldest of nine children born to his parents William and Krema (nee Abdoo) Shannon. Joe grew up in Cuyahoga Falls and attended St. Joseph Parish School (St. Joe's) and was a member of the first graduating class of Archbishop Hoban High School in 1957. After a short time at John Carroll University, Joe began what would become a lifelong passion for entrepreneurship.

Joe's parents were first generation Lebanese immigrants. His father died when Joe was thirteen years of age, leaving him patriarch. Joe soon went to work to help support his large family. A couple of his first jobs were parking cars at Falls Theatre and working at a family business, Bell Music Company, cleaning the coins out of the jukeboxes. While still in high school, Joe met Carole Ballard. The two were together all the time and enjoyed driving in Joe's red convertible Cadillac to the "Hungry i" on Portage Trail and hanging out with friends, including some of Joe's younger brothers. The pair were soon married and first welcomed twin sons Mark and John, then daughter Christine, son Joseph, and daughter Carolyn. Joe and Carole and their five children lived in Kent where Joe was now working downtown running several of the local bars, The Townhouse, Deck, and Fifth Quarter. During this time, Joe invented the "automatic drink dispensing apparatus" (automatic bar) and created the company American Beverage Control (ABC). Joe was an innovator, holding more than 25 patents throughout his lifetime including "automatic wine dispenser", and a "paint tinting system". Joe transitioned to the restaurant business when he got involved with, and later purchased the Rockne's franchise. He continued to be involved with the food, beverage, and bar industry most of his adult life. However, his interests were not limited to the food and beverage industry. In 1995, Joe and Ming Zhang, an engineer at ABC, collaborated and created Interactive Engineering Corporation (IEC) together. IEC specializes in the design and manufacturing of electronic controls.

Joe is preceded in death by his parents William and Krema Shannon, wife of 57 years Carole (nee Ballard) Shannon, and his youngest sibling, Michael Shannon. He is survived by his wife, Sue Jones, his children, Mark (Deborah) Shannon, John (Jessica) Shannon, Christine (Charles) Rainey, Joseph (Laura) Shannon, and Carolyn Shannon, his grandchildren, Courtney (Smith), Nicholas & Michael Shannon, Zachary, Clay & Jaret Shannon, Zoe (Collier) Frederick & Raphael Rainey, Ava, Lane & William Shannon, Hannah, Jared & Ian Burkey, siblings, Anthony (Lynne) Shannon, John (Lorrie) Shannon, Timothy (Kathi Williams) Shannon, Robert (Sue) Shannon, Mary Jo (Larry) Emerick, William Shannon, James "Dee" (Michelle) Shannon, sister-in-law Marsha Somers, several nieces, nephews, and extended family members, and numerous friends and business acquaintances.

The family will receive family and friends on December 4, 2025, from 4:00pm until 6:00pm at Hummel Funeral Home, 500 E. Exchange St. Akron, Ohio 44304. Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00am on the morning of December 5, 2025, at St. Joseph Parish Church, 1761 2nd Street, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 44221, Fr. Jared Orndorff officiating. In lieu of flowers, Joe would have preferred you support your favorite charity.