James “Jim” Conroy, lifelong resident of Prior Lake, passed away November 30, 2015 at the age of 97. Mass of Christian Burial is Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 11:00AM with visitation beginning at 9:30AM at the Church of St. Michael, Prior Lake. Pall Bearers will be Jim’s grandsons, Anders and Karl Conroy. Interment will follow at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Memorials are preferred and will be distributed in Jim’s memory by his family.
James Francis Conroy was born to Peter and Mary Conroy on February 28, 1918, the year of the great Influenza epidemic. He was raised on the family farm in Prior Lake. From an early age, Jim loved to tinker with anything mechanical. As a young child, he would often drive his mother to the grocery store in the family’s Model T Ford. Before he and his mother could return home, Jim would need to find an adult man to crank start the vehicle. Some of his favorite recollections of those early days on the farm were riding with his father in a horse drawn sleigh along the Minnesota River to South St. Paul to take hogs to market, and running into the house in terror with his dog the first time an airplane flew over the farm.
In his early childhood, Jim attended a one-room schoolhouse located on Spring Lake. He had fond memories of catching fish at lunch in the creek that ran alongside the school. From there, he attended and graduated from Shakopee High School. Shortly after graduation, Jim joined the Navy and proudly served in the South Pacific aboard the USS Pinkney in World War Two. The Pinkney was a hospital ship that participated in many of the pivotal battles of the Pacific Theater including Palau, Leyte, the Lingayen Gulf, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima. At Iwo Jima, Jim witnessed the iconic raising of the American flag buy U.S. marines, and at Okinawa Jim narrowly survived a bombing that nearly sunk the Pinkney. After the war, Jim return to Prior Lake, went back to school and received a degree in accounting. Having always excelled in science and mathematics, Jim worked on early computer systems for St. Paul Companies, Inc. where he worked for nearly three decades.
As a young man, Jim could be found attending dances and it was at the Prom Ballroom where Jim asked a young woman, Betty Lou Sundberg, for a dance. Shortly after Jim and Betty began their courtship and eventually exchanged wedding vows on September 13, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They settled in Prior Lake where they started their family. Jim and Betty were blessed with a son, Mark.
Jim could often be found working on the family’s home. He was a skilled handyman who could build or repair just about anything. In 1959, Jim and Betty purchased an older home in Minneapolis and had it moved to Spring Lake. Jim served as the general contractor, carpenter, plumber, electrician, and mason all rolled into one. Jim and Betty loved living on Spring Lake and enjoyed gardening, growing both vegetables and flowers, feeding the birds, and watching the lakeshore wildlife. They enjoyed a happy and active life together. Until last year, they could still be found dancing together at the Prior Lake VFW post 6208 where Jim was an active member.
Jim was a patient, quiet, and gentile man who will be remembered dearly by his family. He will be deeply missed by his wife, Betty Conroy; son, Mark (Kari) Conroy; grandsons, Anders and Karl Conroy.
He is preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Rosemary (Glen) Erickson and Helen (Al) Lampe.
Funeral arrangements by Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation, Prior Lake.
