John Edward Conley, aged 86, passed away on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, N.C., following complications from pneumonia. He had moved to Raleigh in November, 2009 to be near family.
He had lived with his wife, Irene (Uchman) Conley, who survives him, at 275 Wilbar Drive in Stratford for 40 years, starting in 1969. John was employed as an electrical engineer for 37 years by the General Electric Company, retiring in 1986 after the company's Wire and Cable operations were closed. John had been the company's representative to the National Electrical Code.
He was preceded in death by his only sibling, Patricia Wendell of Richmond, Va. Her husband, Robert still lives in Richmond.
He and Irene were married on May 24, 1952 in St. Stanislaus Church in Adams, Mass., where Irene was born and raised. As he wrote in his last testament, "My greatest accomplishments were marrying Irene, and having four wonderful children. The grandchildren have been a major bonus." John is survived by those four children he mentioned, Avis Hayden (Jim) of East Arlington, Vt.; Colleen Ely (Kevin) of Youngsville, N.C.; Kevin Conley (Patsy) of Raleigh, N.C.; and Neal Conley (Terri) also of Raleigh. Surviving him also are 13 of his 14 grandchildren, Wesley and Kendra Hayden of East Arlington, Vt, Jake Ely of Tempe, Ariz. and Dana Ely of Youngsville, Jaimie, Regina, William, Angela, John (Jack), Lucy, and Susan Conley of Raleigh, and Bryn and Taryn Conley of Raleigh. He was preceded in death by Jeannette Conley of Raleigh.
John was born in Oshkosh, Wis. on June 7, 1923 and due to family circumstances, moved around a lot in his childhood, living in such places as Rhinelander, Wis., Alliance, Neb., Chippewa Falls, Wis., Hardin, Mont., Bancroft, Wis., and Fond du Lac, Wis. He graduated in 1941 near the top of his class from Fond du Lac High School, where he made several life long friends, some of whom survive him.
In 1942, he volunteered for the US Army, and didn't return to civilian life until the end of 1945. As a member of the 11th Armored Division, he was among those who fought in Belgium in the Battle of the Bulge. He was the only member of his squad not to have been killed or wounded in a December 30, 1944 battle in the Ardennes Forest. He was later wounded, and received the Purple Heart, along with a Victory Medal and three bronze battle stars. He regularly attended the annual reunions of the 11th Armored Division, and was proud of his service to his country.
On the G.I. Bill, he was able to graduate from the University of Wisconsin in 1949, with a degree in electrical engineering, and was a member of the Tau Beta Pi honorary fraternity.
He was honest and humble, and appreciated life, often saying that he was never once bored in his life. He was a tinkerer in electronics, an avid puzzle solver, especially crosswords, loved gardening and reading, and was a devoted Green Bay Packers fan from the day in 1931 when he first heard a radio broadcast in his father's garage in Chippewa Falls.
A private funeral service with military honors is planned for April 12, 2010 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Raleigh. He will be interred in Adams, Mass.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund, P. O. Box 3968, Gaithersburg, MD 20885-3968 or by visiting www.cfsrf.org
1) Once on the Website www.cfsrf.org select the red button "Donate Now" on the top right-hand portion of the site
2) Scroll down and click on the Flag icon
3) Select the word - continue - written in blue found in the middle of the screen as you scroll down
4) Complete the necessary information regarding your donation and click on review donation and continue - when ready
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