Lillian M. Canning

Lillian Margaret Sonsalla Canning, 86, of Mesa, AZ,
passed away October 26, 2005. She was born on January
2, 1919, to Thomas and Elizabeth Killian Sonsalla.
She is survived by her children Elizabeth Payson
(Douglas), Sara Canning, Richard Canning, Jr. of
Seattle, WA, and Charles Canning (Christine) of
Gilbert, AZ. Her five grandchildren are Tom Canning
and Jeff Canning (Julianne) of Fargo, ND, Alisa
Bokulich (Peter) of Boston, MA, Benjamin Canning
(Chelie) of St. Cloud, MN, and Andrea Worley
(Jonathan) of Phoenix, AZ. Her great-grandchildren
are Olivia Canning of St. Cloud, MN, and Julian
Bokulich of Boston, MA. She is also survived by her
brother, Roy Sonsalla (Rose) of St. Louis Park, MN.

Lillian was preceded in death by her husband of nearly
60 years, Richard Gordon Canning, Sr.; their eldest
son, James Harry Canning; and her siblings Claire
Kieffer, Evelyn Buehrle, Edward Sonsalla, and Irene
Jensen. She will be interred next to her husband and
other family members at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in
Hendrum, MN.

Together, Lillian and Dick operated a diversified
small-grains and sugarbeet farm west of Hendrum in the
Red River Valley of Minnesota. In addition to being a
loving wife and attentive mother, she was a loyal
friend to many. She was proud of having children in
the Hendrum public school system for 30 years.
Lillian was an avid reader who imparted the value of
education to her family. She was involved in
community organizations such as 4-H, Boy Scouts,
Hendrum High School Band Mothers, USO, and
county/state Republican politics. Lillian was a
prolific gardener and an accomplished chef.

During the era in which Dick was one of the founding
members of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Grower's
Association, The Red River Valley Farmers Association
recognized Lillian and Dick as couple of the year. In
1964, Lillian was a Minnesota delegate to the national
Republican Party convention where she met Mrs. Ronald
Reagan and Mrs. Richard Nixon.

For 32 years, she graciously entertained guests at the
family lake cabin at Big Floyd Lake near Detroit
Lakes, MN. Lillian and Dick were adventuresome
travelers on the early passenger flights on the Boeing
707, the supersonic Concorde, and the first
trans-polar Boeing 747 commercial flight to London.
They traveled throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and
Australia. Lillian and Dick retired to Green Valley,
AZ, in 1975 where she lived for 27 years. Lillian was
a skilled member of the Hillsboro, ND, bowling
team, a brilliant player of Scrabble, and a formidable
backgammon opponent. She had a love of nature and
always paused to admire the beauty of a sunset or
enjoy the fury of a thunderstorm, which she captured as
a talented amateur photographer.

A Mass in her memory will be said on Friday, November
11, 2005, at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in
Green Valley, AZ.

Remembrances may be sent to the Salvation Army or to
the American Cancer Society.