Carl C. Conley Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Funeral services for Carl will be held on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Geneva. Pastor Michelle Gowin will officiate the services. Military graveside services will follow the funeral service and they will be held in the Geneva Public Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Farmer & Son Funeral Home in Geneva. Memorials are directed to the Geneva VFW Post 7102. Carl Claude Conley was born August 13, 1923, in South Sioux City, Nebraska to George A. Conley and Barbara J. (Bayer) Conley. He passed away Thursday, January 7, 2016, at his home in Geneva, Nebraska at the age 92 years, 4 months, and 25 days. He was one of 10 children in the family. At age 5, Carl moved to Aurora, Illinois, for his father’s work as an ironworker on the skyscrapers of Chicago. Carl grew up in Aurora through high school and was drafted into the Army on January 25, 1943. He attended basic training at Camp Stewart in Georgia, where he trained with the anti-aircraft division, working with radar and searchlight technology. After basic training, he served in Long Island, New York, where he spent three months tracking submarines and aircraft. He was then shipped overseas to serve in the European Theater in the Army’s 33rd Infantry Rainbow Division, serving in France, Germany, Austria, and fighting in the Battle of The Bulge. Carl was discharged from the Army in April of 1946, and he returned to Aurora, Illinois, where he worked for the Railroad for two years. In September of 1947, his sister introduced him to her best friend’s sister, Merna Mae Grossman, who was visiting from Red Cloud, Nebraska. In early 1948, Carl moved to Red Cloud and married Merna on July 10, 1948. Carl took and passed the Civil Service Exam and began working for the Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, in Webster County in July of 1948. He transferred to Hebron, Nebraska, in February 1949, where he and Merna had two children. The family then moved to Geneva in 1954, where they had a third child in 1961. He retired from the Soil Conservation Service in December 1985 after 37 years. Carl was active in the local VFW Post 7102, and he served as Post Commander for two years. He served on the city’s Commission on Aging, and he was a member of the United Methodist Church for over 60 years, serving with the board of trustees and as a long-time camera operator. He also was a member of the Geneva Volunteer Fire Department for 25 years, and he delivered meals on wheels for many years. Carl loved the outdoors, and he was an avid hunter and fisherman. He also enjoyed horse racing, playing cards, sports and had a great sense of humor. Carl excelled at figuring things out on his own, including building a house from the ground up, using many recycled materials, as well as building his garage from ammunitions boxes. This house and garage stood as the place the family has called ‘home’ since 1957. Carl was preceded in death by his parents; and all nine of his siblings: Ruth, Charlie, Leslie, Leota, Fran, Helen, Betty, and two siblings who died as young children. He is survived by his wife Merna of Geneva; children Craig & Corki Conley of Soap Lake, Washington; Carol & Steve Reddy and Cathy Conley & Paul Sisk all of Lincoln, Nebraska; four grandchildren Cody, Zac, Seth, and Sarah; three great grandchildren Cooper, Creighton, and Channing; foreign exchange student, Birgit Zoerner of Dortmund, Germany; and many nieces and nephews.

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Carl C. Conley

August 13, 1923 - January 7, 2016