Thomas M. Cannon

July 29, 2026. Predeceased by his loving wife, Susan Mary Cannon; son, Edmund Cannon; parents, William and Mary (Crothers) Cannon; brother, Andrew Cannon; and brother-in-law, Charles Dunne. He is survived by his children, Devin (Eli) Harrigan, Colin (Kayo) Cannon, and Corey Cannon; grandchildren, Evelyn Harrigan and Lydian Cannon; and siblings, Catherine Drew, Denise (John) McLaughlin, Angela Cannon Crothers, and Sharon Thorpe.

Tom lived a life shaped by music, film, photography, family, and an abiding love for the arts. 

A gifted drummer from an early age, Tom played in a successful band as a teenager, performing before crowds numbering in the thousands. His love of music would remain one of the great constants of his life, from rock and roll to jazz and everything in between. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he studied film and communications, worked at the college radio station and WSBK Channel 38 in Boston, sailed competitively, and contributed to a short film that went on to receive an Academy Award nomination. It was also at Emerson that he met Susan, who would become his wife and partner in life and work.

After college, Tom brought his talents back to Rochester, working as a cameraman for Channel 13 News before he and Susan embarked on what would become the defining professional adventure of their lives. In 1977, they founded Freetime Magazine, an independent arts and entertainment publication that became a fixture of Rochester’s cultural landscape for nearly four decades.

Through Freetime, Tom and Susan chronicled and championed the art, music, film, theatre, dining, nightlife, and festivals that made Rochester so vibrant. Tom had a lifelong talent for recognizing emerging artists and helping connect them with new audiences, something that became central to his work at the magazine. He was also an enthusiastic promoter of the city’s cultural life, sponsoring such events as the Rochester International Jazz Festival and East End Fest. And his involvement in the community extended beyond the arts, including the creation of Freetime Baseball Buddies, which gave local Little League players the chance to take the field alongside the Rochester Red Wings and stand with the players under the stadium lights for the national anthem. 

But it was family that was most central to Tom’s life. He was devoted to all four of his children, his five siblings, and his extended family, and was someone they could always rely on. In his later years, one of his greatest joys was being a grandfather. Just two days before his sudden passing, Tom attended his weekly sing-along with his daughter and granddaughter. Even as Parkinson’s challenged him, the lifelong drummer was still there: he would look around in disbelief as others clapped on the one and three, while he effortlessly and faithfully kept it on the two and four. 

Tom leaves behind not only a family who loved him deeply, but a creative legacy woven into the city he called home. For nearly forty years, he and Susan helped tell Rochester where to find the culture, the music, and the fun. And throughout his life, Tom never stopped seeking those things out himself.