James Hubert Conley

CONLEY: JIM . It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Jim Conley at the age of 95, Sept. 15 2017. He is survived by his daughter Terry, son Bill, daughter in law Jayne, two grandchildren, David and Robbie and a great granddaughter Jennifer. He was predeceased by his wife Joyce in 2009, his son Rick in 1979 and his only sibling Jack, in 2013. He was happily married to Joyce for 61 years and they were perfectly matched. They started with nothing and worked very hard to provide a good life for their children. We always came first. The same year Joyce died he was blessed with a great granddaughter, Jennifer. He made a strong connection with her. He taught her to crawl, play catch and juggle. He loved to read her stories. He always thought he had lived in the best of times even though he fought in World War 11. He moved to Kelowna in 1971 and retired in 1985. He had many good years golfing at the Kelowna Golf and Country Club. He loved to read and was a librarian to many people. His mind was sharp to the end. We would like to extend a special thank you to his doctors, Dr Mackle and Dr. Purdon. Also to the staff at KGH that looked after Dad with so much compassion. Jim lived at his home, which he loved, until the last four days. He went for breakfast at Milestones every Sat for over three years and never missed a one. They treated him well. He was grateful to many, Rhonda, Pam, Sandy, his doctors, his pharmacists and many more. He made friends wherever he went. He will be missed by many. He will be remembered for his great sense on humor, his generosity and his honesty and integrity. He will be reunited with the love of his life Joyce and all that preceded him. Maybe Dad will start a library in heaven. A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.firstmemorialfuneralkelowna.com. Arrangements entrusted with First Memorial Funeral Services, Kelowna, BC 250-762-229

Dad had an unbelievable memory and wrote his memoirs regarding the war years and shared those with some friends. He also had written out his childhood memories that I have typed and included in his biography. Also, I would like to give details regarding his life after the war. He went back to school after the war, encouraged by Mom, and got his grade 13. He was hired by Excelsior Life that later became Aetna Life. He worked all his life for the same company, 38 years as a Branch Administrator. He met Joyce at a boarding house she lived at, in Toronto, his Dad was also boarding there. He married Joyce and started with Excelsior in 1948. They were transferred to Calgary, Windsor, Vancouver and then to Kelowna in 1971. He retired at 63 in 1985. He said at the time that it was probably a good thing to retire early because he only had a good five years left. He was wrong and golfed until about 85 years old. He held the attendance record for the most years playing consecutively in the Senior Tournament at the Kelowna Golf and Country Club. He loved his golf. Mom and Dad did some traveling but were really content to stay at home and enjoy their family and friends. They went to San Francisco for their 25th anniversary. They also went to Europe (Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, England) Vegas, Florida and Hawaii. They went back to London Ontario to visit his brother Jack and wife Aunt Arla. They had a large family, sons John, Philip and Mark and daughters Margaret and Mary. They would go see the Blue Jays and visit the surrounding area. Mom, Dad and I also went to Ottawa and then rented a car and toured Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI and had a wonderful time, friendly people, good food and unbelievable scenery i.e. Peggy's Cove, Cape Breton and the Bay of Fundy. After Mom's passing in 2009, Dad and I took the train to London and had a great experience. Dad was very social and met some interesting people from all over the world. Dad loved to read and went to all the Library Book Sales. His favorite was in Vernon. The first time we went he told me to clean out the trunk of the car. I told him that there was no way he was going to fill the trunk, he did. He had a list of people, their preferred authors, that he supplied books for. When we went to the sales his memory was so good that he would remember if he had the book at home or not, he had over a thousand at one time. Dad was always up to date with current affairs, he read the paper and watched the news everyday. He also wrote a number of letters to the editor. Dad donated on a regular basis to the Salvation Army. He was kind, honest, generous and upbeat. He had a really quick wit and was always fun to be around. Dad will be missed by many.

Terry