Gerry Cann’s early life was marked by tragic challenges. His mother died when he was small, followed by his father when he was 11.
As an orphan, he was raised by relatives and family friends in New York, graduating from the prestigious Darrow School in New Lebanon, in Upstate New York, where he had boarded and been a spectacular athlete playing several sports. Throughout the course of his life, he maintained his interest in sports, especially in soccer, which he later coached for his own three sons.
From Darrow, he went on to New York University, graduating with a degree in geology and geophysics, after which he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps for two years. What followed was an illustrious career in and out of government service, which culminated with his nomination by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisitions, a position he held for the duration of the Bush Administration.
Up to this point, I have described the professional Gerry, the government Gerry, the Washington Gerry, and now I turn to the Northern Neck Gerry. Lois, Gerry’s first wife, died in 1984. In 1993, he married Diane Chapman Kent, a native of Bethesda, Md., and an arts graduate of Emory University. Shortly thereafter, they came to the Northern Neck and bought a small farm on Crane’s Creek near Wicomico Church.
They began restoring the Victorian farmhouse, carefully removing all of the trim from the windows and doors and replacing it after the insulation had been installed and the walls were finished. By the end of the project, the interior appeared to be untouched from the time of its construction. On the water side, they built an addition with a large brick fireplace that enabled one to see the water and the fire at the same time.
They collected appropriate furniture for the period of the house, thereby enhancing the overall ambience of authenticity. When they came to the Northern Neck Diane and Gerry left Washington behind, although they kept an abode up there, to become part of the local scene. They built a pier from which they enjoyed sailing, fishing and crabbing, as well as growing oysters.
Gerry was the consummate scholar, who undertook no projects that he would leave unfinished, and no conversation that would remain incomplete. He enjoyed speaking about crabs and oysters from an academic perspective. He knew all the rules and strictly obeyed the regulations set forth by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. He wanted crabs to thrive and oysters to make a comeback.
In this part of the world, as I noted, Gerry left his government experience and knowledge back in Washington, but if asked his opinion, or to comment on current events, he was ready, willing and able to respond, succinctly and cogently. His knowledge of government and the world scene was encyclopedic and his opinions were rooted in his decades of experience in the world of politics.
Diane died in April 2022, shortly prior to her 80th birthday. Gerry concluded that having passed 90, he should return full-time to the Washington area and he reluctantly put the old farmhouse on the market. He might have left the Northern Neck, but the Neck did not leave him. He maintained contact with his friends here and hoped to come back for a visit, which regrettably did not materialize.
On September 24, Gerry died in Bethesda at the age of 93. He was a memorable person for many reasons, but here in the Northern Neck especially for his love of the area and his making of it his own.
Gerald A. Cann, April 29, 1931–September 24, 2024. R.I.P.
