Henrietta Meachum Cannon

‘Meachie’ Cannon, 89, of Greenville, SC died on Sunday, January 26, 2025 while surrounded by her loving children.  Born in Bennettsville, she was the daughter of the late Henry Taft Meachum & Mildred Covington Meachum.  She was a long time member of First Presbyterian Church of Bennettsville.  She graduated from Bennettsville High School in 1953 with the nickname “Chicken.” She  was the manager of the girls basketball team and treasurer of her senior class.  She graduated from Columbia College in Columbia, SC in 1957.

Meachie was married to Arthur Dickson Cannon, Jr. for 21 years.  She met Dick through his twin sister, Caroline Cannon Johnston, who also attended Columbia College while both of their fiancés were at the University of South Carolina.  Even after Dick and Meachie parted ways, all of the Cannon family continued to love and include Meachie as a family member. 

Meachie and Dick lived in Massachusetts while Dick was in graduate school at Harvard.  Meachie worked as a secretary while in Massachusetts.  They later settled in Atlanta, where they lived until 1974.  Meachie enjoyed trips to Bennettsville and Summerville to visit her parents and brother and his family, who loved her dearly. Meachie was a homemaker and took up golf, tennis, played guitar and sang in a musical band called The Singing Moms.  She became an avid golfer, even scoring several holes in one.  She was most at home at their second home in Highlands, NC, where she could play golf as much as she wanted with some of the best friends she ever had.  

They moved to Hilton Head, SC in 1974 where Meachie continued to enjoy golf, and in 1977 moved to Greenville, where she lived until her death, fulfilling her vow to stay in South Carolina, her blessed homeland forever.  Meachie played golf at Holly Tree Country Club, took a golf trip to Scotland, and worked as an assistant for several years at Palmetto Real Estate Trust.  She grew the best butter beans and green beans in the world, played the ukelele, and had cheeseburgers every Saturday night with Caroline, Johnny, their daughter, Susan, and others. Her closest friends were her various dogs through the years.  She loved on her four grandchildren when they came to visit and very excitedly welcomed her twin great granddaughters in her last few years.

Meachie was a feisty, independent woman whose famous words were, “I can do it.  I don’t need help,” as all of her loving caregivers will attest.  She could fix anything and manage everyone and  was also considered the friendliest, most welcoming person by her neighbors.  While she will be missed by so many, we are glad that her suffering from years of dementia is over and that she is now healed and whole, rejoicing in heaven with family and friends and pets  who have gone before her.  Her family cannot thank her loving caregivers enough for the patience, love and grace they gave to “Miss Meachie” for the past few years.

Mrs. Cannon is survived by her children, Lisa Cannon Blumhagen (Gregory), of Adel IA, and Arthur Dickson Cannon III (Sharon Coley) of Hiawassee, GA; four grandchildren, Arthur Dickson Cannon IV of Charleston, SC, Charlotte Gray Daganhardt (Logan) of Dallas, TX, Rebecca Bea Blumhagen Chastain (Zachary) of Binghamton, NY, and Andrew William Blumhagen of Berlin, Germany; great-grandchildren twins, Eliana Ivy Covington Chastain, and Frances Phyllis Chastain; a sister-in-law, Annette Meachum; a niece, Lauren Gary (Bert) of Augusta, GA; and her nephew, Jemie Meachum of Columbia, SC.

She was preceded in death by one brother, Joseph Ernest Meachum.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, January 30, 2025 from 10:00 – 11:00 am at Cannon Byrd Funeral Home, Fountain Inn. The Celebration of Life Service will follow in the funeral home chapel at 11:00 am. Entombment will follow in the Cannon Byrd Memorial Park Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in honor of “Meachie Cannon” to: Real Champions, Inc. or via mail to 7596 West Main Street, Ridgeland, SC 29936 or PO Box 669 Ridgeland, SC 29936, p (843) 726-6000. Real Champion’s mission – “to become trusted advocates for children by establishing long-term relationships that lead them to greater opportunities in life, school, and work.”