A Cohasset man who was struck and killed by an MBTA Commuter Rail train earlier this month is being remembered for always putting his family before himself.
On May 3, 78-year-old John Canney was driving a pickup truck over the Beechwood Street railroad crossing in Cohasset around 11:20 a.m. when the truck was hit by the train, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said previously. He was declared dead at the scene, and his truck was declared a total loss.
John Frederick Canney was born in Davenport, Iowa, to John and Marjorie Canney, according to his obituary. The couple raised him in Needham, Massachusetts, and he went on to graduate from UMass Amherst with a degree in German Literature.
After college, Canney was introduced to the finance world through a job working on Wall Street in New York City, according to his obituary. He went on to found a Boston-based municipal advisory group.
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Canney was an avid reader and considered the Mathematics Dictionary light reading, according to his obituary. He was also member of the Cohasset Yacht Club and had a passion for sailing.
“Always the patient, steady, and capable captain, he loved sailing his Atlantic City Catboat, Annie S.,” his obituary reads.
More recently, Canney rediscovered his love of painting, according to his obituary. He could often be found working on a thumbnail print.
Canney was married to his wife, Barbara Canney, for 42 years, and he leaves her and his son, Garrett Canney, behind, according to his obituary. He is described as “a devoted husband and father who always put his family before himself.”
“John was a dear and humble man of greatness, and the world is diminished by his loss,” his obituary reads.
A memorial service for Canney is scheduled for Sunday, May 25, at 2 p.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Cohasset, according to his obituary. A celebration of his life is set to follow immediately afterward at the Lightkeeper’s Cottage in Cohasset.
In lieu of flowers, Canney’s family asks that people honor his memory by donating to a local non-profit of your choice, according to his obituary.
