Palmer St Ives Shannon, 74, died at his home on January 31, after complications from lung disease.

Shannon was born on March 6, 1931, in New York City, the son of Palmer and Kenyon Grayble Shannon. His family relocated to Rye, N.Y., and he graduated from Rye High School in 1949. He went on to study electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He served in the US Air Force as a staff sergeant from 1951 to 1953 in St John’s, Newfoundland, and served for two years in the New York Air National Guard. He furthered his education by attending classes at Columbia University while working for NBC’s The Today Show.

Shannon’s first entrepreneurial venture was that of an electrical contractor in Greenwich, Conn. Throughout his career he possessed an unrelenting belief in the benefits of independent employment and hard work. In midlife he turned to the audio/visual industry and created Show Management, Inc, which facilitated expert trade show production for many Fortune 500 companies.

Shannon evolved into a well-rounded intellectual, joining the Young Republicans in Greenwich as well as the local theater. As member of the Actors Equity, Palmer offered his skills and talents to nonprofit organizations such as Connecticut Playmakers in Greenwich and the Sterling Barn Theater Group in nearby Stamford. In these venues, Shannon did it all: acting, directing, producing, lighting and audio set design.

He married for the second time in 1973 to Jocelyn Budington Ginn of Old Greenwich, Conn. With Joy’s vision for owning her own antiques business and Palmer’s aptitude for running a business, they formed Shannon Antiques in 1980.

They relocated to Cape Elizabeth in 1997, where they ran their business and attended shows up and down the East Coast. Palmer became treasurer of the Maine Antiques Dealer Association (MADA), and Palmer and Joy were embraced by the Cape Elizabeth community enjoying bridge, theater, gourmet cooking and entertaining friends.

Nancy Glazer, president of MADA, said of Palmer, “In his lifetime Palmer wore many hats; he was the ultimate volunteer, the person who was willing to pitch in anywhere and everywhere. And he did. That never changed… He was our ‘go-to-guy.’ The thing that was so very fine was that Palmer did all this with bottomless good humor and grace, never making us feel he was burdened by our demands for information or support.”

She continued, “He was a master of improv and a consummate joke teller, a devoted husband and dad and a special person to those of us lucky enough to call him friend.”

He was a beloved man who impressed acquaintances and everyone he encountered with his dry wit, intelligence and humor. His improvisations at the dinner table and endless stream of jokes will long be remembered and deeply missed.

Palmer had also appeared recently in a local television commercial shown in Maine, according to show manager Linda Turner. “The news of his passing saddened me as I not only knew him as an exhibitor and dealer, but also as a neighbor as he lived in the next town over. I will dearly miss him,” she said, “not only for our chance encounters at the hardware store or the gas station, but I will also miss his presence at the antiques shows.”

These sentiments were echoed by Nancy Prince a fellow dealer and board member who served with Palmer for two years. “He was a great asset as treasurer of the board. He and Joy always had beautiful stock and booths. Palmer was available to help out with anything, anywhere. As an electrician, his former profession, he was the standby person to solve electrical problems – something he did at the Wilton shows and at MADA’s show.”

Neville Lewis, who owns the Barometer Shop and also serves on MADA’s board, echoed others when we spoke. “Such a nice, likeable and knowledgeable man. He just took on a job and did it, without fanfare. He could accomplish anything, and he did.”

Marilyn Gould, the manager of the Wilton shows, agreed. “He and Joy always had the booth near the overhead doors so if any electrical problems came up he would take care of them. He was a wonderful, dear person; his death is a tremendous loss – both as a dealer and a friend.”

He is survived by and is deeply missed by his wife Joy, and his adored family: daughter Lisa Shannon and granddaughter Nicole of Maryland, daughter Anne Thompson of Virginia, and three stepchildren, David, Lauren and Tracy Ginn of Maine. He is also survived by his devoted Maine Coon cat, Moose, his buddy.

A memorial service celebrating Palmer Shannon’s life will be held in Cape Elizabeth in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the American Lung Association, 61 Broadway, New York NY 10006.

Arrangements are by the Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Road, South Portland, Maine.