Eleanor Conger

Eleanor (Ellie) Mae Koehler Conger died peacefully on September 21, 2014, at Hospice of the Valley in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 92. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held October 11, at 11 a.m., at Paradise Valley Community Church, 4242 E Greenway Road, Phoenix, Arizona, with visitation thirty minutes prior to the service. Burial will follow the service at Paradise Memorial Gardens. Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E Flower Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014, in Eleanor's name. Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary in Scottsdale is handling arrangements. Eleanor was born to William McKinley and Marie Fricke Koehler in Sibley, Illinois. She married Weldon Conger on February 10, 1945, in Sibley, and celebrated nearly 64 years together. She is survived by three daughters, Sue (Bill) Hallinan of Scottsdale; Sharon (Paul) Murphy of Portland; Janene (Rich) Clay of Redmond, WA; one son, Jody (Diane) of Tucson; eleven grandchildren, Justin Murphy; Erin Murphy (Brian) Deardorff; Hillary Hallinan (Brian) Hutson; Alex and Eric Kinney; Katie Clay; Lauren, Hailey, Sarah, Claire and David Conger; three great-grandchildren, Kylie, Brady and Braxon Hutson; one brother, Don (Gayle) Koehler of Loomis, CA; and one niece, Lynne Lamb (Jim) Beasley, League City, TX. She was preceded in death by her husband, Weldon; her parents; and her loving stepmother, Margaret Koehler. Eleanor graduated from Sibley High School in 1940, and received a two-year diploma from Illinois State Normal University in 1942, which qualified her to teach in rural Illinois elementary schools immediately. She was an elementary teacher in Forrest, Illinois, from 1942 until 1945, when district policy prohibited married women from teaching. In 1953, Eleanor returned to teaching at Sibley Elementary School as its 3rd grade teacher until 1961 and again from 1973 to 1976. She loved children, and she loved teaching. In addition, Eleanor worked closely with Weldon to manage Conger Specialized Agricultural Services for over 20 years. She also directly contributed to their farming activities, operating large equipment until they retired in 1983. She and Weldon then moved to Scottsdale, where they enjoyed playing golf, visiting family, and traveling by motorhome throughout the U.S. and Canada. Eleanor was a long-standing member of the United Methodist Church in Sibley and Melvin, Illinois. In recent years, she and Weldon were active and enthusiastic members of the Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona. For the past three years, she resided at Pueblo Norte in Scottsdale, where she was independent and active until her death. Family was Eleanor's first priority, and she showed a keen interest in the education, activities and careers of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. By example, she demonstrated diligence, persistence, compassion, love and humor. She chose to begin each day with a positive attitude, and greeted everyone with a friendly smile.

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