Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 271760
Title: John R. Conlin
Date: 2/21/1926-8/27/2025
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 2/21/1926
Summary: John Robert Conlin, 99, was born on February 21, 1926, to Edward, Sr. and Elizabeth (Dolan) Conlin at Mercy Hospital in Williston, ND. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on August 27, 2025, at Bethany Home in Fargo, ND. his funeral Mass was held on September 5, 2025, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Williston. He was laid to rest at Riverview Cemetery in Williston with full military honors. John grew up in Williston, where he became an Eagle Scout. In 1941, he built his own car and won the only Soapbox Derby in Williston, receiving a treasured trophy. He graduated with the Williston High School Class of 1944. His family owned and operated Conlin’s Furniture. At age 18, he enlisted in the US Navy and served in World War II as a Yeoman 3rd Class in the decoder room, chosen for his strong typing skills. While serving aboard the USS Henrico in April 1945, his ship was struck by a kamikaze near Okinawa, Japan. Thankfully, John, who had gone below deck moments before, survived uninjured but lost many of his crew mates in the attack, some of whom he prayed with in their final moments. After the Henrico was heavily damaged, John was transferred to the USS Sarasota and went on to serve aboard several ships in the Pacific before being honorably discharged in 1946. Through the GI Bill, John attended St. John’s University in Minnesota, graduating in 1950 with a degree in history. On August 28, 1948, he married the love of his life, Mary Helen Kelly, at St. Joseph’s in Williston. Together they shared 77 years of marriage and were blessed with 15 children—10 daughters and 5 sons. Throughout their life together, John and Mary lived in Williston, Dickinson, and Fargo, and St. Cloud, MN. John worked in the family furniture and carpet-cleaning businesses and was deeply involved in his community. He served as a scoutmaster, performed in local plays and sang tenor in the barbershop chorus, took part in clown diving at water carnivals, and played drums in the Williston Cowboys’ Drum and Bugle Corps. His strong Christian faith guided his life. He was an active parishioner, serving as a cantor, lector, and member of the Knights of Columbus, where he attained the 4th Degree of Faithful Navigator. He spearheaded the Mardi Gras fundraisers at Trinity High School in Dickinson and at St. Joseph’s in Williston. John was a longtime member of the VFW, American Legion, and Secretary of the NLUS Dakota Council #394-39. In 2015, he was humbled to be chosen as an honorary crew member of the USS North Dakota submarine. He enjoyed performing with Entertainment, Inc. theater productions. John was an avid golfer, achieving multiple holes-in-one, and later enjoyed working at the Williston Municipal Golf Course during retirement. After suffering a stroke in 2013, John and Mary moved to Riverview Place in Fargo. Known for his quick wit and playful humor, John delighted his grandchildren and great-grandchildren with his Donald Duck voice, clown dives, and endless antics. His family loved him dearly, and he will be remembered with deep admiration. He is survived by his beloved wife, Mary; his children, John (Mariam Weingarten), Marguerite (John) Gysler, Mary (the late David) Huether, Daniel (Debra Davidson), Pauline (Jerry) Davis, Edward (Jackie Hammer), Helen (Chris) Adducci, Cecilia (Scott) Emerick, Patrick (Rhonda Klasna), and Ann (David) Watterud; his sister, Mary (Conlin) Nyvold; his brother, Francis (Frank) Conlin; 35 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his parents, Edward, Sr. and Elizabeth; brothers, Clement (Patricia) and Edward Jr. (Joan); sister, Theresa (Sr. Patrick); five children, Angela, James, Jean, Marie, and Theresa; son-in-law, David Huether; grandchild, Andrew Conlin; and great-grandchild, Jack Adducci. He was also preceded in death by brothers-in-law, Robert (Mary) Nyvold, James (Janet) Kelly, Bud Shanahan, Dick Dwyer, and Chuck Rohrman, as well as sisters-in-law, Kathryn, Patricia and Joan Conlin.
Red ID: FND_I_79255 Image ID: 536719 Image Notes: FND001 271760

Collection: FND001 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Date: -

Summary: The North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program is sponsored by the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association. The life stories of deceased North Dakotans are featured in an archvied collection. Current partners in the project are Eastgate Funeral & Cremation Services, Bismarck Evans Funeral Homes, Carrington and New Rockford Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home, Williston Fulkerson Funeral Home, Tioga Fulkerson Funeral Home, Watford City Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home, Williston Nero Funeral Home, Bottineau Parkway Funeral Service, Bismarck Springan Stevenson Funeral Home, Stanley Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson These funeral homes provide recent obituaries to the Foundation, where staff and volunteers format, edit and archive each memorial. The memorials are posted, and copies are sent to the family for their input and approval. The listing currently features more than 13,000 memorials, and is constantly updated as new memorials and histories are received.

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