Inez E Connor

Connor, Inez of Redington Shores, FL, died on Memorial Day, May 30, 2011 in her sleep of heart disease. She was preceded in death by Joseph, her husband of 54 years. The couple moved to Florida in 1996 after retirement as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Washington, DC.

During her 20-year career with the Service, she was responsible for media and public affairs on endangered species such as the bald eagle, California condor, and whooping cranes; restoration of Wild Atlantic salmon and striped bass, the 500+ units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and other national conservation issues. During her tenure, she also served for nine year as assistant regional director for public affairs for the 13-state northeast region, headquartered at the time in Boston. She received many honors and awards, including selection as one of the ten most outstanding employees nationwide.

Earlier, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, worked for the National Eye Institute (NIH), for members of Congress and Democratic National Committee in Washington, DC. She lived in the Washington suburbs in Bowie and New Carrollton. She was born in Columbia, MO.

After retirement, she was active in the Shore Mariner Condominium Association, serving as president and vice president of the Board of Directors, social chair, and wrote and produced its newsletter and a video on the condo’s 35-year history. As a volunteer for the Town of Redington Shores, she wrote and produced the Town’s color brochure.

She is survived by two sons, Drew of Cooper City, FL and Neal of Owings, MD; four grandchildren: Nathan and Joseph of Cooper City, and Jason and Stephanie and great-grandson, Jordan, all of Owings. Another granddaughter, Kristen, preceded her in death. Private burial will be in Belle Center, OH, her late husband’s hometown. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Florida Suncoast.