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James Francis “Jim” Conroy

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Birth	:	17 Nov 1920 Oconto, Custer County, Nebraska, USA
Death	:	22 Jan 2018 Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA
Burial	:	Calvary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate	:	40.8119011, -96.6639023
Description	:	Thanks to contributor #46912143 for article. Jim Conroy, the founder of Conroy’s Family Bakery, will surely be remembered for serving gooey cinnamon rolls, plate-sized glazed doughnuts and customized cakes for 50 years from his College View store. But those who knew him will also remember how Conroy served Lincoln outside his bakery’s walls. For years, Conroy operated a thrift shop for those in need in a building at 19th and R streets that he ultimately gave to a volunteer group. With his late wife, Grace, he adopted five children, and spent decades opening his home to needy individuals, including the... Read More	Thanks to contributor #46912143 for article. Jim Conroy, the founder of Conroy’s Family Bakery, will surely be remembered for serving gooey cinnamon rolls, plate-sized glazed doughnuts and customized cakes for 50 years from his College View store. But those who knew him will also remember how Conroy served Lincoln outside his bakery’s walls. For years, Conroy operated a thrift shop for those in need in a building at 19th and R streets that he ultimately gave to a volunteer group. With his late wife, Grace, he adopted five children, and spent decades opening his home to needy individuals, including the homeless and refugees. Conroy died Monday morning at age 97. The bakery in College View closed in 2016, but the Conroy's at 1600 Normandy Court is still operating, run by Jim’s son, Tim. The bakery announced Conroy’s death in a Facebook post. “He has touched many people’s lives, not only through his delicious pastries, but with his faith and passion to help all people in his community and abroad,” the post read. “Nothing made James happier than volunteering and watching people enjoying his bakery treats.” Conroy, born in Oconto, learned how to bake while serving in the Civilian Conservation Corps, which provided relief for unemployed young men affected by the Great Depression. He went on to serve as an Army cook in World War II, and when he returned home, he perfected the baking craft at a trade school in Oklahoma. “A bakery is a place where you can be creative,” Conroy told the Journal Star in a 1989 interview. “It gives you an outlet to make things, which is, I guess, good therapy.” He returned to Nebraska in the ’50s, starting Conroy’s Family Bakery in 1957 in Rathbone Village. Ten years later, he needed a bigger space and found one in the burgeoning College View neighborhood, where his bakery at 4725 Prescott Avenue grew into a Lincoln institution. “Mom and Dad have made a lot of friends who would come in and they’d become our family,” Conroy’s daughter, Ret Pennell, said in a 2016 interview. Conroy started his day early — often at 2 or 3 a.m. — and followed that schedule until only a few years ago, into his early 90s. “Retirement is not for me,” he told the Journal Star in 2010. “You can’t live a selfish life. As long as you are capable, you should be working, and I always figured my work was good for people.” Conroy’s life was anything but selfish. He followed his mantra of hard work in everything he did, according to Ken Knaus, who knew Conroy for more than a decade through their mutual involvement in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Conroy was part of a group that helped establish a Lincoln chapter of the volunteer society in 1987, Knaus said. According to Knaus, in 1989, Conroy purchased property at 19th and R streets that he used as a thrift shop, where he received and distributed donations to the poor. Tenants in the building included Matt Talbot Kitchen and Daywatch, both programs that served the homeless. Conroy ultimately gave the thrift shop to the society, which operated it until its closure in 2005. “I met him probably when he was in his early-to-mid 80s and he wouldn’t hesitate to throw a clothes washer or a clothes dryer on a flatbed and take it to a client,” Knaus said. “He thought of other people first. His love for his wife and his family is a model for all of us.” With Grace, who died in November 2016, Conroy turned his house into a place for hundreds of people in need, providing refuge for the homeless, displaced individuals from countries such as Vietnam, teenagers who had been kicked out of their homes and former inmates. Individuals were welcome to stay for as long as they needed — from weeks to years. But the Conroys — both devout Catholics — gave more than shelter. They remained deeply involved in their transient tenants’ lives, helping them find work, develop skills and get on their feet. “It wasn’t just a matter of just giving them a handout, it was literally grabbing their hands and moving them onwards,” Knaus said. One woman, Knaus said, came from Guatemala and stayed with the Conroys for two years. With their help, she learned English, found a job and ultimately started a family. “We all try to learn a bit from the people who come before us,” Knaus said. “I got to know how we’re to act toward those in need through Jim.”

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is James Francis “Jim” Conroy's memorial?
James Francis “Jim” Conroy's memorial is located at: Calvary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA.
When did James Francis “Jim” Conroy death?
James Francis “Jim” Conroy death on 22 Jan 2018 in Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA
Where are the coordinates of the James Francis “Jim” Conroy's memorial?
Latitude: 40.8119011
Longitude: -96.6639023

Family Members:

Parent

A. Laurence Conroy

(1884 - 1981)

Lauretta Anne Neville Conroy

(1896 - 1939)

Spouse

Grace Nishimuta Conroy

(1920 - 2016)

Siblings

Rose M. Conroy Walsh

(1923 - 2004)

Laurence J. “Babe” Conroy

(1924 - 1979)

Infant Daughter Conroy

(1926 - 1926)

John C Conroy

(1928 - 2022)

Elizabeth A. “Bette” Conroy

(1931 - 2011)

Louis Maynard “Louie” Conroy

(1935 - 1994)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Wyuka Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8175011, -96.6647034

2. Christ United Methodist Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7996330, -96.6567430

3. First Plymouth Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8027763, -96.6915283

4. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7984750, -96.6388322

5. Grace Lutheran Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7971380, -96.6889790

6. Unitarian Church of Lincoln Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7994590, -96.6352980

7. Westminster Presbyterian Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7915077, -96.6849365

8. Saint Matthews Episcopal Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7894240, -96.6876110

9. Cathedral of the Risen Christ Bishops Chapel Crypt
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7802510, -96.6705110

10. First Lutheran Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7965500, -96.6254800

11. Peoples City Mission Memorial Garden
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8164980, -96.7196260

12. Capital Humane Society Graveyard
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7896430, -96.7148570

13. College View Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7705994, -96.6260986

14. Mount Carmel Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8535995, -96.7022018

15. Saint Davids Episcopal Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8291404, -96.6002780

16. Fairview Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8442001, -96.6069031

17. Nebraska State Penitentiary Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7667920, -96.7064290

18. Saint Marks United Methodist Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7711520, -96.6037530

19. Lincoln Regional Center Haines Branch Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7869800, -96.7394800

20. Lincoln Regional Center Calvert Street Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7778900, -96.7350100

21. Sheridan Lutheran Church Columbarium
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7538670, -96.6268170

22. Teachman Graveyard
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.8357400, -96.5823300

23. Yankee Hill Cemetery
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7694016, -96.7386017

24. Lincoln Memorial Park
Lincoln, Lancaster County, USA
Coordinate: 40.7447014, -96.6986008