Alison Duff Cannon, most recently of Westwood and formerly of Martha’s Vineyard, died peacefully on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. She was 95.
She was born in Boston on June 23, 1928, to Alexander and Margaret Manning Duff. She grew up in Wellesley, attending public school before entering her beloved Smith College. In 1950 she graduated from Smith with a degree in history.
In 1951 she married Donn S. Randall, an Amherst man with whom she had grown up in Wellesley. She focused on raising their family of four children while they lived in Wellesley, Bedford N.H. and then Manchester-by-the-Sea.
Alison taught English at the Brookwood School in Manchester-by-the-Sea. She enjoyed summers on Lake Winnipesaukee and regular ski trips to Cannon Mountain in Franconia, N.H., with Donn and the children. Tragically, Donn’s life was cut short by a car accident in 1967.
Through mutual friends, Alison met her second husband, James H. (Jim) Cannon. They married in 1969 and moved to Boston. Together, they enjoyed a busy civic and social life for 44 years until his death in 2013.
She was an active volunteer wherever she was living. In the Boston area she was involved with the Junior League, the Smith College Club, Nichols House Museum and the Chestnut Hill Garden Club. An avid reader of mysteries, she was also a contributing reviewer for Publishers Weekly magazine.
She especially enjoyed working at the Museum of Fine Arts where she was on the ladies committee, worked as a docent and was instrumental in establishing the annual Art in Bloom exhibit that continues to this day.
After many years of summering in Edgartown, she and Jim moved to the Vineyard full time in 1983. As a year-round resident Alison contributed her many skills to local civic endeavors. She served on the Edgartown planning commission, the boards of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and Polly Hill Arboretum, as well as various committees at the Edgartown Yacht Club and Chappaquiddick Beach Club, where she enjoyed beach days with her grandchildren.
She also continued her involvement with the ladies committee at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Smith College Club.
Alison always enjoyed a good party and was the consummate hostess. Most of all, she was a passionate foodie and studied with the French chef Madeleine Kamman. She worked as the pastry chef for Chez Pierre in Edgartown and made wedding cakes for family and friends. She instilled a love of cooking in all her children and grandchildren.
She enjoyed golf and tennis, and valiantly crewed for Jim during sailing season until they moved to Fox Hill Village in Westwood in 2011. There, she continued to stay busy with various activities, including trips to the Boston Symphony, the Museum of Fine Arts and creating flower arrangements for the public areas around Fox Hill.
She always had a kind word to say about everyone. She treated people with equal respect and regard, and had a smile that lit up her whole face. She lived a full and long life and will be missed.
Alison leaves her sons Donn Randall and his spouse Pam Norley, his three children, Amy, Alec and Alison, and their spouses and children; Jeff Randall and his spouse Nancy Randall, their two children, Lucy and Sally, and their spouses and children; and Stuart Randall and his spouse Loring Allen, and his children Catherine, Henry and Philip: her daughter, Shelley Randall; her stepchildren, Peter Cannon and his spouse Nan Hawley, and their children, Nicholas, James and Alice; Jane Cannon; and Cairo Cannon and her partner Carol Morley.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Polly Hill Arboretum, P.O. Box 561, West Tisbury, MA 02575.
