For St. Mary's Official, No Challenge Was Too Large or Small

Denis D. Canavan, director of land use and growth management for St. Mary's County, had a tough job -- balancing the goals of longtime residents who didn't want the county to change and developers who pushed hard to make sure it did. He earned the respect of both.

Canavan was the county's top planner for more than five years. In October, he announced that he had cancer and stopped working so he could begin chemotherapy. On Dec. 3, he died at his son's home.

During a memorial service Tuesday before the county commissioners' meeting, Canavan, 60, was remembered as someone who worked long hours to find creative solutions to challenges, ranging from small-scale projects such as building a garage in an environmentally sensitive area to long-term plans for the county.

Although Canavan and his wife, Barbara, hoped to move to St. Mary's eventually, their home was in Harford County. He stayed in St. Mary's during the week and went home on weekends.

Still, Canavan always had time for a "12-ounce Bud" with co-workers or golf, volleyball or softball after work, said Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D-Great Mills).

"We're going to miss him professionally, but we're also going to miss him personally," Raley said.

On Tuesday, St. Mary's commissioners presented Canavan's wife and son with a framed portrait of Canavan.

"That's that smile," Barbara Canavan said when the portrait was unveiled. "I have to tell you, he just loved St. Mary's County, and he loved the people of St. Mary's County."

Canavan's son, John T. Canavan, said it had been difficult adjusting to life without his father, but "seeing all of your faces helps us out a lot."

Canavan, a New Jersey native, graduated with a degree in urban planning from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire in 1970. He received a master's degree in urban planning and public policy analysis in 1977 from Morgan State University in Baltimore.

Before working in St. Mary's, Canavan was a planner in Harford, Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties and at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D-Leonardtown) said Canavan was "a man who could define compromise" and also carried their golf team at tournaments with his amazing long shots. Board President Francis J. "Jack" Russell (D-At Large) called Canavan "a wonderful planner and a good guy."

Whoever is selected to fill Canavan's position has "big, big shoes to fill," said Del. John F. Wood Jr. (D-St. Mary's).

Wondering why Canavan died so young, Mattingly suggested that God needed a talented planner "to fix things up there."

Or, Barbara Canavan, said, "maybe God was putting together a golf team."