Obituary of James F. Conlon

James F. “Jim” Conlon, 79, of Cooks Ct., entered into eternal life on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

Born in Lansingburgh, New York, he was the son of the late Emma (Nielsen) Conlon and the beloved husband for over 47 years of Barbara G. “Barb” (DeStefano) Conlon, who passed away on June 27, 2014.

Jim was a 1957 graduate of Catholic Central High School (CCHS) in Troy.  He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1958 to 1962 and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal.  Following this military service, which he always reflected back on with tremendous pride, he graduated in 1964 with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science Construction Technology from Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) in Troy.

Jim and Barb were inseparable; and while it sounds cliché, they were best friends. Soulmates. Their love for one another was so special and profound that it couldn’t help but to inspire you.  Without question, Jim would say that the greatest achievement of his life was his wife and family.  He was a wonderful example of everything a husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, brother and uncle should be.  He cherished family time and enjoyed an enormous amount of it.  He loved playing Cribbage, Mexican Train Dominoes, Poker and Solitaire, and enjoyed reading and watching TV; especially about military history.  He loved his Ketel One martinis, and regaling those around him with endless stories of his beloved military service in Germany and Japan.  And although they were always the “same stories” we had heard countless times; what we wouldn’t give to hear them one more time.

He retired from Bovis as a Project Manager in the late 1990s.  Throughout his distinguished career in the construction industry, Jim held a variety of positions which included Quality Assurance Manager, Project Engineer, Area Superintendent, Superintendent, Chief Field Engineer, Field Engineer, Project Coordinator and Construction Coordinator. Some of his projects were the Library and Museum at the South Mall in Albany, Cohoes Memorial Hospital, the Gov. Nelson Rockefeller Plaza, Nine Mile 2 Nuclear Power Station as well as the Reactor Building, Sikorski Aircraft Co. Building, IBM Research Center High Purity Water Facility, Bristol Myers Pharmaceutical Research Center, Lewiston Falls Hydroelectric Project and the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge in Rhode Island.

Devoted father of Kristina M. (Mark) Grosky of Clifton Park and Kevin J. (Sheri) Conlon of Fairport, NY, cherished "Poppy" of Sarah and Mark Grosky, II and cherished "Grandpa" of Patrick and Katie Conlon, loving brother of Marion (late, Bill) Fenelon of Ballston Spa (formerly Colonie), Carol Douglas of Oklahoma City, OK and Helen Green of Nassau.  He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited and may call at the Gordon C. Emerick Funeral Home, 1550 RT-9 in Clifton Park on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and to the funeral service which will be celebrated that afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

Interment with full military honors by the United States Air Force and the Saratoga National Cemetery Honor Guard will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville.

Those desiring may make memorial contributions to Wounded Warrior Project (P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675-8517), or to Community Hospice of Saratoga (179 Lawrence St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866), or to the American Cancer Society (1 Penny Lane, Latham, NY 12110), in memory of James F. Conlon.  Jim’s family wishes to extend their sincere gratitude to the entire team from Saratoga Hospital Health Systems with special recognition to the caregivers at Unit A-3 from Saratoga Hospital and Community Hospice of Saratoga for the outstanding and loving care they provided.

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