Frank William Conley

Frank William Conley, 90, passed away Thursday, November 5, 2020 in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis B. Conley and Madeline Leto Conley and his brother, Thomas Conley.

Frank W. Conley was born in what is now the upper east side of the borough of Manhattan, New York City, on December 26, 1929. In those days, the neighborhood was made up of crowded tenements and he grew up playing with brother Tom and sister Elaine in Central Park and learning to swim in the East River. During WWII, while attending Stuyvesant High School, Frank was recruited as a victory farm worker in Vermont and upstate New York. His grades and athletic prowess led him to Colgate University to play football. His future bride was attending nearby Syracuse University.

When the Korean Conflict began, Frank did his Army duty in Germany. In 1951, before he left, he and Marilyn Bush married and honeymooned in a rustic camp at Burden Lake. The Army ultimately sent them to Fort Benning, GA, where daughter Frances was born.

After the war, the Conley family returned Syracuse where daughter Jessica was born and Frank finished his degree in mechanical engineering. Then, it was on to Claverack, NY where son Reid was born. Eventually, they settled in Delmar, NY.

Frank was always building something or tinkering with an engine or fitting. Some of his more memorable camping efforts were Conley’s Coop and several converted camper vans. The family still talks about the crazy sleeping arrangements! Then it was on to building dinghy sailboats – somehow, he talked Marilyn into making the sails. All these were used for family fun in the Adirondacks at Fish Creek State Park, the best campground in the world. The Conleys played in the water regardless of the ever-present Adirondack rain.

The kids tried to count the number of boats their folks had over time and concluded that it is at least 20, maybe more. Some were for racing, some for puttering. There were many different marinas and yacht clubs from Kaydeross to Mayfield to Crown Point and parts in between. After the kids grew up, most of Frank and Marilyn’s boating was done with the sailboat Sable in Lake Champlain. This beautiful boat carried Frank with his trusty crew (Marilyn) many places from Montreal to the Bahamas.

After moving to Virginia 22 years ago, Frank continued his love of boating at Claytor Lake. They donated their last sailboat to the VA Tech Sailing Club for others to enjoy.

Over the years, Frank shared his love of water and boats with each of his children and grandchildren. To this day, his children all love being near water!

A week and half before he died, Frank had the family out on his latest pontoon boat at Two Rivers. He was active until the end –he set a wonderful example of how to live life well!

A private service will be held for family only, but will be live-streamed on Facebook Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 3PM.