Earl L. Conner's Obituary
Earl L. Conner, 79, of Decatur, passed away Friday, October 25, 2013 in his home with his family at his side.
Earl was born October 14, 1934 in Sweet Lake, LA and grew up in Lake Arthur, LA with 10 brothers and sisters. During his senior year in High School he was voted best dressed and most popular. Upon graduation Earl joined the Navy and was stationed in Great Lakes, IL. Great Lakes, IL is also where he fell in love with a Navy Wave named Lynn. Earl and Lynn were married on February 11, 1956. After their time in the service, they moved to Lake Arthur, LA and lived there for several years. Earl worked on the oil rigs in the Gulf for several years, and when Hurricane Audrey hit, Earl and Lynn moved back to IL, first in Pana then in Decatur.
Earl was never without a job and was very talented. He went from selling vacuum cleaners, to working for Caterpillar for a short period of time, to working for UPS where they hired him as a package driver. Earl worked his way up to a feeder driver where he stayed and retired after 30 years. Earl was a UPS Circle of Honor member with over 25 years of safe driving. Earl retired a very proud member of Teamsters Local 710. Earl was also an avid Chicago Bears, St. Louis Cardinals, Illini and LSU Tigers fan. Earl enjoyed yearly vacations to Las Vegas, bull riding, fishing, hunting, cooking and yearly vacations to Louisiana where he would visit his family. Earl was happiest spending time with family and friends. Earl loved to create, build and repair anything, and watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren in all of their activities always put a smile on his face.
Earl was diagnosed with Alzheimers/Dementia on March 07, 2010. He fought the battle as best as he could, but in the end he lost the battle. He was taken from us to be with God and reunite with all of his loved ones that passed before him.
The family would like to thank all of their family and friends for the love, prayers and support during his lifetime; especially during this long battle. Thank you to all of the UPS brothers that were there with him until the end and always kept that special bond. They would also like to thank Carol his VA nurse, Harbor Light Hospice; especially Stephanie, Father Joe from Holy Family Parish and special thanks to Jaime for her care giving, friendship and love.
Earl is survived by his wife, Lynn of Decatur; son, Jerry (Darcy) Conner of Decatur; daughters: Lynette (Toby) Lambert of Decatur and Shelly (Larry) Auton of Decatur; Grandchildren Matt Conner Richardson of Decatur and Fallon Conner of Decatur; Step Grandchildren: JR (Julie) Auton of Decatur, Missy Ford of Decatur, Kim (David) Cowan of Murfreesboro, TN; Step Great Grandchilden: Andrew, Zach, Nick, and Lauren Auton of Decatur and Jackson and Ryker Ford of Decatur, IL. Also surviving him are his sister, Marie Bowles of Gainsville, TX; sister-in-law, Marion Klein of Pana, and Ruth Conner of Lake Arthur, LA; brothers-in-law: Jim (Judy) Klein and David “Fritz” Klein of Decatur, Mike (Carol) Klein of Richardson, TX, and Arthur “Yo” Davis of Westlake, LA; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial to celebrate his life will be 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 29, 2013 in Holy Family Catholic Church, Rev. Joe Molloy Celebrant. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 pm, Monday, October 28, 2013 in the Moran & Goebel Funeral Home; vigil prayer service 4:30 pm. Burial with military rites will be in Mt. Gilead Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association and/or Holy Family Catholic Church.
The Conner family is being served by the Moran & Goebel Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 2801 Monroe St., Decatur, IL 62526. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.moranandgoebel.com.
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