Janice Gannon Vance

She was a member of North Shore Golf royalty; the daughter of the late Larry “Silver Fox” Gannon, the king of Happy Valley, as its head pro, for four decades. Two years after he died, the city of Lynn renamed the course Larry Gannon. Janice Gannon Vance oozed with pride whenever her dad’s name came up. Larry was equally proud of her, even though he did not live long enough to see his daughter become the first executive director of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts (WGAM). Vance died March 12 after a short battle with cancer. She was 65, and left a personal legacy to golf equal to her dad’s.

Vance, a fine amateur player growing up, enjoyed modest success as a competitor representing Larry Gannon and later Ferncroft. But her greatest gift to the golf community was her 14 years as executive secretary (3) and executive director of the WGAM. Her boundless energy serving the century-old organization set an example for the volunteers who supported her initiatives. “I love this job,” she told me on numerous occasions. She didn’t love the commute, initially from her Lynnfield home to Needham, then later from Lynnfield to Norton and Massachusetts Golf House, but she endured it and never let it get in the way of her dedication to the job and to the Bay State’s women golfers.

“I remember when Janice was first hired by Sandy Savian (then of Ipswich CC and WGAM president),” said Lynnfield neighbor Anne Marie Tobin. “She hit the ground running with the job and she was a big help to me when I served my two years as president. She was somebody all the presidents have leaned on, I’m sure. She was a huge part of anything positive that went on during my two years in charge. Janice always put her heart and soul into the job. She was a vital connection when the WGAM began reaching out to other golf organizations like the Mass. Golf Association and the Ouimet Fund.

“Personally, I appreciate everything she did for me while I was president her honest opinions, her expertise and background. I looked up to her as a mother and golfer. She was an important woman in Massachusetts golf for many years. And, she gave me a great honor when she championed the proposal to have the WGAM Player of the Year award named after me.”

Paul Barkhouse, one of the North Shore’s top players and now the head pro at Woburn Country Club, grew up with Janice at Happy Valley and as a chum of her brother, Larry Gannon Jr. “Janice was a terrific young lady who had much potential as a golfer,” Barkhouse, who served several years as her dad’s assistant pro before giving the PGA Tour a crack, said. “She joined Ferncroft when I was pro there but she didn’t play much because she put her two daughters first.

“When she began working for the WGAM, her work became her second love after her daughters,” added Barkhouse, who turned 69 in March. “She was thrilled she could be involved with golf like her dad. She was a big asset to the WGAM and to golf in general. She was a wonderful person to boot.”

Bob Green, the longest serving head pro at Tedesco and a legend in his own right, said Vance “did so much for golf around here I wouldn’t know where to start. She was also a good player. I know she played on the Lynn English High boys’ golf team and often beat the boys. In those days I was just getting into golf and her father took me under his wing. He was like a father to me. I was like a member of his family. I considered Janice my older sister all these years. I was very proud of her.”

As were all of her North Shore golfing family.