‘A peach of a guy’

DENTON – A well-known and respected member of the Caroline community passed away Friday, Feb. 14.

Francis “Sonny” Callahan, 88, succumbed to a longtime illness shortly after he was admitted to Compass Regional Hospice in Centreville. His family had been by his side just an hour prior.

“He was just a peach of a guy,” said longtime friend Conway Gregory of Chestertown.

Condolences as well as appreciation for Callahan’s life, were posted on the Moore Funeral Home website soon after his obituary went online.

Friends, acquaintances and former co-workers praised Callahan as “an amazing, loving person and a very blessed man,” “an inspiration and a true gentleman,” and “a gentleman and caring person (who) made our world a better place.”

“He had the unique caring attitude that he shared every time we met up with (him) and Nancy,” posted one friend.

Callahan was born April 11, 1936, at home in Grasonville, the son of H.F. Addison Callahan Sr. and Kathryn “Kitty” Lynch (Callahan) George. His family moved to Ridgely when he was very young.

Callahan was a 1954 graduate of Caroline High School in Denton. In November 1954, he entered the U.S. Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in January 1956, having developed a medical problem with his left eye, which was surgically repaired.

He worked for W&N Lumber Co., Dickerson Inc., Caroline Bowling Lanes, Graver Tank & Mfg. in Wilmington, Delaware, and in 1960, he joined the accounting department of Campbell Soup Co. in Chestertown.

In 1961, he contracted tuberculosis and recuperated for a year at Pine Bluff Hospital in Salisbury. After his recovery, he continued working with Campbell Soup Co. until June 1965. During this time, he traveled to Klamath Falls, Oregon, a dream he had for years.

On September 17, 1966, he married the former Nancy Lee Tribbett of Sudlersville.

In September 1965 he was employed by Choptank Electric Cooperative Inc. in Denton, and retired after 30 years in 1995. He served as a lineman for 24 years and was the company’s only purchasing agent for the last six years. He also served for three years as financial secretary of Local Union 1707 at Choptank Electric when he was a lineman.

George Weaver of Ridgely worked with Callahan for 14 years. “He was a lot of fun. We used to make a joke out of everything possible,” he said. “But we all did what we were supposed to be doing.”

When Callahan took the purchasing agent job, Weaver said, “he made several changes and saved them a mess o’ money.”

“He was a great guy, and a great guy to work with,” Weaver said.

Fred Hubbard of Denton was a longtime CEO of Choptank Electric Cooperative when Callahan was employed there. “Sonny was a very unique person,” he said. “He questioned a lot of things that went on, good or bad, and he was one to dig into things.”

As purchasing agent, Callahan “went the extra mile – more than a lot of other purchasing agents would have done, … and he got an award for that,” Hubbard said, calling his work ethic an Eastern Shore character trait.

After his retirement Callahan was awarded the annual Solon Bennett Award for “Excellence in Materials Management” by his peers. He was the fourth recipient of the national award, which is granted to one individual each year.

In March 1998, Callahan joined the board of directors of Choptank Electric Cooperative, representing Caroline County and serving until 2019. He earned and received a Gold Award in 2017 for completing courses related to his directorship.

Callahan was a 32nd Degree Mason, entering Temple Lodge #128, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in Denton over 50 years ago in 1972. He served as Past Master in 1979 and served 16 years on the board of trustees. He also served a Grand Inspector for the Grand Lodge of Maryland for six years. He instructed many prospective Masons.

Fellow Mason Travis Bledsoe of Denton said he sees Callahan’s name on a plaque at the Grand Lodge when he visits there because Callahan became a charter member of the Grand Lodge’s Instructive Tongue Society for helping dozens of men earn their first three degrees, which require “a huge amount of memorization work,” Bledsoe said.

Gregory recalled Callahan’s mentorship when he entered the Lodge.

“He was just an excellent teacher. He had patience, he had a good sense of humor. I never saw him angry. I never saw him raise his voice to anyone,” Gregory said. “He was an excellent Mason. He's very dedicated to the Masonic Lodge and very dedicated to Temple Lodge.”

Callahan was also a member of Boumi Shrine in Baltimore and active in the mission of Shriner’s Hospital for Children.

Gregory was appointed to succeed Callahan as judge of the Orphans’ Court of Caroline County because the dates Callahan sat on the bench conflicted with the meeting dates of Choptank Electric Coop’s board of directors’ meetings.

“He was the kind of man who had empathy,” Gregory said. “He was a listener. He listened to all sides of an argument and then based his decision on what he thought was in the best interest of the heirs of an estate. He was an excellent Orphans’ Court judge, in my opinion, and I was honored to be able to replace him.”

Callahan earned the rank of Eagle Scout on Nov. 28, 1951, and served as the Assistant Scoutmaster with Troops #10 and #343 in Wilmington. He was Scoutmaster and Explorer Advisor with the Boy Scouts of America Troop #165 and Explorer Post #365 in Denton.

Denton Attorney Walt Palmer, an Eagle Scout and longtime leader with Troop #165 recalled Callahan’s inspirational kindness.

“I remember when I got my Tenderfoot, which is the first rank, that (Scoutmaster) Sonny Callahan … said some nice things about me (during the ceremony),” Palmer said.

“And I remember how proud my dad was,” Palmer said. “So, I make it a point when, for any rank that any Scout gets, to say something nice about each and every Scout, when we have a ceremony with the parents there,” he said.

Callahan was a founder of the Denton Little League Association and served for 28 years as a leader and umpire. He served as president of the association for one year.

He was president of the Caroline High School Alumni Association from 2005 until 2018. He also served as vice president of the Caroline County Historical Society and was a life member.

As a charter member of the Kent County (Maryland) Jaycees, Callahan served as the state director in that organization. He later affiliated with the Denton Jaycees and chaired a “very successful” project called “Junior Champ,” and which prompted the Caroline County PTA to award him a lifetime membership. He had served as treasurer and vice president of the Denton Elementary School PTA.

He was a member of St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Denton, serving as an usher and as a member of the Administrative Board.

In 1956, Callahan joined the American Legion Post #29 in Denton as a “paid-up for life” member.

He was appointed in 1999 by Gov. Parris Glendening to the Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board for Caroline County, where he served for six years.

In 2008, Callahan was appointed by the Caroline County Commissioners to the Ethics Commission for a 2-year term and was reappointed to another 2-year term in 2016. He retired from the Commission early in 2019.

Besides his wife of 58 years, Callahan is survived by three children: Daniel Franklin Callahan (Kelly) of Hillsboro, Kathryn Rebecca Callahan (Mike Hines) of Felton, and Robin Lynn (Callahan) Diehl of West Warwick, Rhode Island; as well as grandchildren Tyler Jacob Kiel of Felton, Rheanna Lee Diehl of West Warwick, Rhode Island, and step-grandson Tucker Coleman (Lindsay) of Denton; along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his only sister, Margaret Elizabeth “Peggy” Callahan Conway of Wilmington, who died at the age of 87 in 2022.

A visitation from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. will take place Tuesday, Feb. 18, with a Masonic service at 5 p.m. at Moore Funeral Home, P.A.,12 S. 2nd St., Denton.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Moore Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Denton Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Luke’s Methodist Church, 100 S. 5th Ave., Denton, MD 21629.