John V. Conroy, Jr., 84, died after a brief illness on Dec. 16, 2014 at Massachusetts General Hospital, surrounded by his four children and his wife. John was born on May 22, 1930 in Kingston, N.Y., the son of the late Marie (O’Heir) Conroy and John V. Conroy, Sr. He was a longtime resident of Derry, N.H. He attended Kingston (N.Y.) High School and received his G.E.D. in the U.S. Navy. John joined the navy in the early 1950’s and held various assignments. He was a member of HS 1, the first navy helicopter squadron, in Jacksonville Fla. Another posting was the winter White House in Key West, guarding then President Harry Truman whenever he went swimming. His final naval posting was VP 23 stationed at Brunswick Naval air station Brunswick, Maine. It was during this time that he met & married Janet Oliver of Gardiner Maine. The couple would have celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on January 2, 2015. After leaving the navy he worked for Sprague Electric in Kingston, NY. He was transferred to Nashua, NH in 1954 and while working for Sprague attended St. Anselm’s College in Goffstown NH receiving a B.A. degree in 1962. After graduating St. Anselm’s John began a long career in computer technology with various companies (Improved Machinery, Process Engineering, Raytheon, Sanders/Lockheed-Martin.) At the time he retired he was an I.T. manager.
After retiring from a 28 year stint at Sanders/Lockheed-Martin he worked in real estate and then went to work for Reliable Security as the security guard at Gate 28 (the commercial entrance) of Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. He worked with, and met many wonderful people who used Gate 28 on a daily basis. Eventually he had to fully retire due to a chronic illness.
He was very active in his community. A communicant of St. Thomas Aquinas church of Derry, he served on the St. Thomas Aquinas school board and was chairman for two years. He was also on the church’s Parish Council. He was active in local politics and was a member of the Derry budget committee and served for several years on the zoning board as well. He also served on at least two charter commissions to revise the Derry town charter. The last few years of his life he served as assistant town moderator at town, state, and national elections.
He was an artist and an animal lover. He discovered late in life that he had a talent for drawing and delighted his friends and family with his artwork. Dogs held a special place in his life. He was known in his neighborhood as the “Dog Grandpa.” He often volunteered to take care of his children’s and granddaughter’s dogs, as well as watching his neighbor’s dog.
He is survived by his wife, Janet, his three daughters, Susan Conroy and Martha (Conroy) Stavrou and her husband Timothy of Derry, NH, Ann Barden of Manchester, NH, his son, Michael Conroy of Derry, NH, eight grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Kay and Richard Friedemann of Atlantic Beach, FL and several nieces and nephews.
Services: Calling hours will be Sunday, Dec. 21 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St. Derry, NH. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, Dec. 22 at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church 26 Crystal Avenue, Derry, NH. Burial will follow immediately after in Forest Hill Cemetery of East Derry. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: St. Thomas Aquinas Food Pantry, 26 Crystal Avenue, Derry, NH 03038, The Marion Gerrish Community Center, 39 W. Broadway, Derry, NH 03038 or the St. Anselm’s Alumni Association, C/O Saint Anselm College, Office of College Advancement #1738, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, NH 03102. Make checks payable to “St. Anselm College”.