John F. Conlee died on May 29, 2020, at 3:15 a.m in Anacortes, WA.

In his usual organized fashion (not to be a burden to anyone!), he wrote his own obituary, as follows: "John was a humble man (with considerable justification), but he had the great fortune to be loved and supported by many wonderful people, including his mother, Arahbell Conlee; his brother, George W. Conlee; his surviving children, Marcy Weinbeck of West Plains, MO, John B. Conlee and his wife, Leanne Dillaway, of Sedro Woolley, WA, and Mary Beth Conlee of Anacortes, WA; and most especially his wife of 70 years, Ellen Lewicki Conlee of Anacortes.

Together, John and Ellen survived the death of three sons: Robert Joseph, three weeks of age, in 1965; William David, aged 28, in 1983; and Paul Steven, aged 21, in 1977. Bill left two daughters who became beloved grandchildren: Sarah Conlee of Parker, CO, and Rose Miller of DeSoto, TX; and John B. gifted us with two other precious girls, Kai Breshem of Bellingham, WA, and Kenari Breshem of Chimacum, WA.  John had seven great-grandchildren: Max, Clark, Leif, Felix, and Otto, Fen, and Hank.

John was born in Springfield, Illinois, on October 1, 1928. He was raised in Springfield and Virden, Illinois, and moved to Urbana in 1941, where he graduated from high school in 1946 before enlisting in the United States Army. He served in the occupation of Korea, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant before his discharge in 1948, when he returned to Urbana to attend the University of Illinois. There he met Ellen Lewicki, and they were married in February 1950. He joined the ROTC program and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army upon his graduation in 1951.

John and Ellen spent an eventful career in the Army, with tours of duty in Germany and Japan as well as many posts in the United States. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, spending the last four years in the Pentagon in Washington D.C. serving in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. There followed a second career in financial administration in the fields of higher education and health care. During this period, John and Ellen lived in West Plains, MO, before moving to Anacortes in 1987. Here they enjoyed many years of retired life, where John was instrumental in the SHIBA program and public library as well as many other volunteer and hobby pursuits."

John was widely appreciated as a man of great integrity and love who served his family, community and country faithfully. He will be missed and honored by those fortunate enough to have known him.