William Shannon | Mari-Nay Diner owner, 86

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, October, 2007

William Shannon, 86, of Drexel Hill, who owned and operated the Mari-Nay Diner in Rosemont for 40 years, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Saturday at Manor Care in Pottstown.

Mr. Shannon attended Lansdowne High School. He then worked at a diner in Glenolden, his hometown, and played club football in Delaware County.

During World War II, he was an athletic trainer and instructor in the Army Air Force in Florida.

After his discharge, he and two other veterans bought an old diner on Lancaster Avenue in Rosemont. They named it Mari-Nay for Marines, Navy and Army. Mr. Shannon eventually bought out his partners and in 1953 built a new diner on the site.

The Mari-Nay, within walking distance of Villanova University and Rosemont College, was...