John Conroy

John McClure Conroy entered this life August 20, 1932, in Clarksville, Tennessee, the son of John James and Louisa Drane Rodriguez Conroy. He peacefully departed on January 7, 2022, after bravely resisting Parkinson’s Disease as long as his body would let him, thankfully keeping his sharp intellect and wit.

He perfected the art of campus prankster at Georgetown University, and studied some history in the meantime, graduating in 1954 when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army. He then served in the Artillery of the 10th Mountain Division, giving him his lifelong excuse for selective listening, attributing it to hearing loss. He returned home to eventually take the helm as the third generation of Elder-Conroy Hardware Distributors. While there, he employed the young Emily Boone, who he charmed within months into becoming his life partner of 60 years. They brought up five children in an idyllic home life on their farm on Trenton Road. As Clarksville grew, he endeavored to move his family’s base of operations to one that was more conducive to the agrarian life to which he aspired, and in 2005, he and his family relocated to Henry County. Even to his last days, he requested daily visits to the farm to witness the realization of his dream.

He was a devout Roman Catholic, at times with an Anglican flavoring from his mother. Anachronistic in the best sense, he hailed from a time when civility was considered a virtue in society, and though the nature of our world changed, he refused to be swept along, remaining a man of honor and integrity until his death. While his temper could be reminiscent of Yosemite Sam, his humor was that of a Pooka. He was an avid reader and bore an encyclopedic knowledge of military history. Though enjoying firearms and hunting, he tenderly cared for any animal that required his nurture.  In all stages of life, he attracted friends who became family.

In addition to his beloved wife, Emily, he leaves his sister, Louisa Hadley, five children and their spouses: Emily McClure and Reid Poland, John James and Michelle Seyller Conroy, Richard Boone and Lois Goad Conroy, Paul and Sandra Sullivan Conroy, and Louisa Conroy and Steven Dial; Twelve grandchildren: Hugh, John Conroy, and William McClure Poland; Chloe, John Daniel, Emma, Richard Goad, Thomas Boone, Patrick, Joseph, Thomas Sullivan, and Margaret Emily Conroy; one step-granddaughter, Sarah Ngernwathana; two great-grandchildren, Autumn and Everlee Morgan; Five nieces and nephews from his sister: Wade and John Hadley, Louisa Jackson, Susan Maynor, and Catherine Birdwell; and many loved in-laws and nephews and nieces in the Boone family. His best canine buddy, Samson, is the most loyal of companions, attending to him through and past the end.

Funeral Mass will be at 1:00 in the afternoon on Saturday, January 15 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Clarksville, the same chapel where he was baptized and married. His grandsons will serve as pallbearers, and his niece Susan and brother-in-law Don Denton as eulogists.

Visitation will be at Ridgeway Funeral home in Paris on Friday, January 14 from 4-7 in the evening, and at the church from 11:30 until the hour of service. Internment will be at Greenwood Cemetary immediately following Mass.

The family wish to thank all his friends who made his life and last days joyous, particularly Randy and Cindy Wade, neighbors who cared for him without hesitation at any hour of the day or night.