Ralph LeRoy Conner

Ralph L. Conner was born about an hour southwest of Sioux City, Iowa, up in the Northeast corner of Cornhusker Country in the small, hardworking farming community of Wakefield, Nebraska on Sunday, May 24th, 1931 at practically the start of the Great Depression. He along with his older sister grew up throughout its devastating peak and as young teenagers saw WWII come to an end in August 1945.

As a child Ralph loved fishing and had interests in other outdoor activities such as basketball, track and football which he played in junior high and high school. In spite of the Great Depression and WWII, he and his siblings still had a pretty idyllic life considering what was going on in the world - and their mother, Eva (Silliman) Conner, always provided.

Uncle James (Silliman) was in the Army Air Corps during WWII and Ralph caught the "flying" bug from him. He often saw four engine bombers such as B-17s and B-24s flying over the farm fields as their crews were training to fly those planes and many other types in preparation to join the fight overseas on many fronts throughout the world.

As a senior Ralph was a member of the undefeated 1948 Wakefield High School State Championship basketball team. In the Fall of 1949, during his first year of college at Wayne State College in neighboring Wayne, Neb.,  Ralph was a member of WSC's only undefeated football team, ever, and was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. It was towards the end of his second year in college when Ralph and a friend decided to enlist in the US Air Force as the Korean War was escalating. At first slated to be a B-29 tailgunner, he signed up for training to become an officer and radar operator and flew in the back seat of an F-94 jet interceptor in 1953. From there Ralph went on to navigation school and finally pilot training in late 1954. The Air Force decided they needed tanker pilots so Ralph first flew KC-97s beginning in mid 1955 and joined the 2nd class to train in the KC-135 which he flew for 11 years until his last tour in Vietnam (1969-70) where he flew B-57s and O-1s (FAC). He retired in the summer of 1972 after nearly 22 years in.

After the Air Force, Ralph took his family to the island city of Venice on the lower Gulf Coast of Florida where he worked as a real estate broker in the area for 30+ years. Everywhere he ever lived Ralph was always involved with the landscaping aspects of his home from building fences or laying sod, to creating intricate plantings, rock gardens, and paths with flowers, plants and trees of all descriptions. He did a stint as Airport Manager at Venice Airport and served on many local committees. He joined various civic organizations including Kiwanis and was a 7+ gallon blood donor. He and Jan moved to New Mexico in 2008, for the 2nd time, after living in Roswell in the mid 1960s at Walker AFB.

The Good Lord called Ralph, age 86, to his Final Skyward Rendezvous the evening of June 12, 2017 peacefully, and with family present.

He was preceded in death by his mother and his much loved sister, Betty, and one grandson, Conner L Smithhisler. Ralph is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Janet Eileen (Mostoller) Conner, son Steven of Edgewood, daughter Linda Smithhisler, husband Mark and son Galen, from Dallas TX and by Ralph's younger brother Glenn from Omaha as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews and in-laws scattered throughout the country. Final interment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery later this year.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in his name to Wreaths Across America and to Flags for Fallen Vets.