Juani Cannon

Juanita Usher Cannon born on January 6, 1940 in Knoxville, TN, passed on from this life on March 14, 2026 at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. She attended high school at Austin High and graduated from Knoxville College in 1963 with a BS in Physical Education, Health, Recreation and Biology. She later went on to receive her MS in Physical Education, Supervision and Administration from UT Knoxville in 1973.

Juanita retired from the Knox County School System in 2002 after 40 years of service as an educator. She first taught at Charles M Hall HS, in Alcoa, TN from 1964-1968 before transferring to Austin-East High School to teach health and physical education. She also served as the first principal of the newly named Vine Middle Magnet School and principal at the Knoxville Transition School. During her tenure, she was also assistant principal at Vine Middle, Holston Middle and Springhill Middle Schools, along with working as an Adjunct Professor and Field Supervisor for student teachers at Lincoln Memorial University.

Juanita was inducted into the Knoxville College Hall of Fame in 2014. She was a life member of the National Education Association and a member of both the Tennessee and Knox County Retired Teachers Association. In 2013, because of exemplary service to the city and the community of East Knoxville, Juanita had "Juanita Cannon" street dedicated in her honor by the City of Knoxville and the Knoxville Community Development Corporation (KCDC).

Juanita was a faithful and active member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church for 80 years. She was also a member of the Alpha Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and was honored in January 2026 as a Pearl member with 65 years of continuous service.

Juanita lived, loved, worked and served in Knoxville her entire life. She was a proud mother of two children, a delighted grandmother of three grandchildren and an overjoyed great-grandmother of one.

The Cannon family will receive friends on April 2, 2026 from 6:00-8:00 pm at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 1601 Dandridge Avenue and her Homegoing Celebration will be held on April 3rd at 12:00pm at Overcoming Believers Church, 211 Harriet Tubman Street. Internment will be at Sherwood Memorial following the Homegoing Celebration.

The family has set up a scholarship fund to carry on Ms. Cannon’s legacy of supporting future educators. Please see the QR code for more information.