Friends, Colleagues Remember Legacy of the Late 'Jack' Bannan, Sr.

The late John H. "Jack" Bannan, Sr. was well known in Simsbury and beyond as a veteran, teacher, office holder, humanitarian and more. 

Bannan died Wednesday July 3 and calling hours were held Monday evening. A funeral service will be Tuesday, July 9, 9:15 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary's Church in Simsbury and burial at Simsbury Cemetery. 

"Every facet" of Bannan's life was about helping others, said First Selectman Mary Glassman. 

"The town of Simsbury lost a wonderful public servant," Glassman said. "He believed in the best in people." 

As an example, she pointed to the Farmington Valley Turkey Trot, an effort to benefit Foodshare at Thanksgiving time. 

Gloria J. McAdam, president of Foodshare, said his efforts have resulted in more than 40,000 turkeys being delivered to those in need. 

"He would always says when he was a POW he learned real hunger," McAdam said. "He thought no one in the United States should experience hunger." 

McAdam said each year since 1993, Bannan organized the entire event, coordinating volunteers and getting local stores to participate, an effort his daughter Marianne and a committee of volunteers have taken over. 

The Turkey Trot started in Simsbury and quickly spread to the entire valley and is the largest of all Foodshare November collections. 

Even last year, an off-duty police officer volunteered to drive Bannan to collection sites. 

"His positive energy was just so contagious," McAdam said. "I think that's why this Turkey Trot is so successful." 

Former Simsbury First Selectman Peggy Shanks first met Bannan when she would substitute in his sixth-grade classroom. She said Bannan had a way with kids and getting them excited about learning, even though he worked in a school that at the time had some issues. His classroom was often hot enough to "roast peanuts on his desk."

"He never complained," she said. "He just loved being with the kids." 

Later the two were in the political arena together. Shanks, A Republican, beat out the life long Democratic Town Committee member for first selectman, but the two served together many years. 

Bannan helped greatly with an effort to convince The Hartford to build in town, she said. Many were skeptical of having such a large company in their neighborhood but Bannan was one who went door to door. 

Shanks also remembers a humorous yet thoughtful side to Bannan. One day he showed up at her door with ceramic elephants he found at a tag sale and said 'I bought these for you.'

"We were friends, we were competitors but we kept the town first," she said. 

On a more serious note, Shanks said Bannan always wanted to help others, a drive she feels may have partially come from growing up in a less well-to-do area like New Britain. 

"He understood how much having an opportunity could change a life," she said.  

Bannan's list of service is a long one. 

As a long-time members of the Simsbury Lions Club, Bannan inspired others, said club president Harolyn Erickson. 

"He was just an awesome person who put everyone else first," Erickson said. 

Nearly every member of the club is now involved in the turkey trot, she said, adding that for many years a master list of details and volunteers was kept in Bannan's small spiral notebook. 

According to his obituary, Bannan was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served in World War II, including a POW after the Battle of the Bulge. 

He went on to earn an undergraduate degree and a master's in Elementary Administration and was a long-time 6th grade teacher in town. 

Bannan was also a town selectman for many years and served numerous organizations, such as the Simsbury Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars and many more. He was also honored as a hometown hero. 

For more details in his obituary or to leave a memory for the family, click  here. 

Memorial donations can be made to: 

• Foodshare, 450 Woodland Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002
• Simsbury Lions Charities, Inc., P.O. Box 11, Simsbury, CT 06070