John F. Conlon, 50, of Mystic CT died on Monday October 25th. John was a quiet, modest man who typically understated his achievements. He was a triathlete who loved running, biking and swimming. John completed many long distance, endurance events including six Ironman races, often finishing in under ten and a half hours (top 5%). An avid gardener and someone who enjoyed renovating his home, John loved spending time with his daughter and the neighborhood kids after school, regularly playing kickball and kick the can. He was often the first to check the ice to initiate ice skating gatherings and was actively involved with his daughter's swim team. Two years ago things changed when John was sidelined by a painful, life changing foot injury. As he tried to adapt to his physical limitations, he took up kayaking and was teaching himself to play guitar. This past summer, John enjoyed a camping/canoe trip with his wife and daughter up the Allagash River that he had also done 34 years earlier with his father and brother Tom. Last month he took part in a 6-mile swim up the Hudson River swimming under the G.W. Bridge which he said was an amazing experience.
John was born in Beverly, MA. He attended Saint Margaret's School, Manchester Jr. High School, and St. John's Preparatory School (class of 1978). He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (class of 1982), two masters degrees in environmental engineering and environmental management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. John served eleven years of active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy submarine force. He was stationed in New London, CT on the USS Jack from 1983-1986 and the USS San Juan from 1988-1992. John left active duty in 1993 and moved to Tennessee to work as an environmental engineer in Oak Ridge. John continued to serve in the reserves until 2003 when he retired with the rank of Commander. In 2001, after the birth of their daughter, John and Elizabeth moved back to CT to be closer to extended family and the ocean. John became a math teacher at Ledyard High School where he enjoyed his students and teaching for the last nine years.
John was a devoted husband and wonderful,loving father. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and daughter Holly of Mystic, CT; siblings Martha, of Baltimore, MD, Katie and Tom of Manchester, MA and Chris of Jacksonville FL; sisters-in-law Susan Henderson, of Manchester, MA and Lori Conlon, of Jacksonville, FL, Julie Nalibov of Stony Brook, NY and Martha Nalebuff of Seattle, WA; several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, John F. Conlon and Ann L. (Bearse) Conlon of Manchester, MA. Though he was good at math, he will be missed by more people than he could count.
A memorial service will be held at 4pm on Saturday, October 30th at Ledyard High School, 24 Gallup Hill Road, Ledyard CT. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the John Conlon Memorial Scholarhsip Fund c/o Ledyard High School.
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