Eddie Wade Conner, 86, of Klamath River, passed away on May 4th, 2021 of natural causes in his home, in the presence of his family.
Eddie was born in Santa Ana, California on April 19, 1935 to Robert Reed Conner and Flossie Ilene Brower. He had two older sisters, Norma and Roberta. He graduated from Escondido High School in 1953 and volunteered to join the Army in 1955 for the Korean War in which he served for two years. Upon returning from the war, Eddie met and then later married Norma “Jean” Kendall in 1960. Eddie and Jean moved to Klamath River where he worked as a heavy equipment operator in the forest industry. After foster parenting Toni and Tina for a number of years, Eddie and Jean had their first son, Casey in 1967, then Andy in 1968 and Troy in 1971.
Eddie owned and operated a service station in Montague in the early 1960s with partner Bill Burt. He was also hired on and served as a California Highway Patrolman in 1968, which took the family to southern California. He chose the graveyard shift because he always wanted to be in the thick of the action. He’s told his family and friends countless stories through-out the years of his exploits while on the California Highway Patrol. Though his stories kept you on the edge of your seat, what he was most known for among his peers and supervisors was that he was above average in every way; an exceptional officer, fearless and courageous on the job, a man’s man, respected by everyone. Eddie loved being a police officer, but he loved his family more. Wanting a better place to raise his family he gave up his beloved law enforcement career and moved back to the mountains of Siskiyou County that he loved. He put his roots down there and raised his family, but it didn’t take long for the community and region to realize what an exceptional man Eddie was in every way.
Eddie worked extremely hard to build his heavy equipment construction business and support his family. He cleared thousands of acres of land for reforestation, built miles of road and fought many fires with his dozers. He also ran the Mt. Shasta and Tule Lake landfills for a number of years which produced many colorful stories. Whether telling stories of high-speed pursuits in his CHP days or dramatic hunting adventures he kept you riveted to what was about to unfold.
Eddie was also very involved in the community and served as the president of the Klamath River School board while his boys were attending. He also served as the Assistant Chief of the Klamath River Volunteer Fire Department for years. Eddie loved being outdoors in the wilderness and was an avid hunter. He especially enjoyed the challenges of elk hunting and would travel to Oregon and Idaho with his sons and friends, taking his mules to camp and hunt deep into the wilderness where few people would go.
After a divorce in 1979, Eddie spent over 30 years with Doris Crownover whom he loved deeply. Doris was a faithful and loving partner that continued to care for him to the very end of his life.
Eddie continued to develop the rock crushing portion of his business which became his focus in the latter part of his career. He was an incredibly capable man whose accomplishments were vast. Eddie had a sharp mind and incredible work ethic which were coupled with mechanical and engineering skills allowing him to achieve a staggering amount throughout his life. Eddie loved to work and continued to work full days right up to the last year of his life.
Eddie is survived by his three sons: Casey (Sandra) Conner, Andy (Laura) Conner and Troy (Rose) Conner, his partner Doris Crownover and her son Wes Crownover (Michele) and his sister Roberta Adams. Eddie had five grandsons; Tanner, Zack, Alex and John. His grandson, Hunter Conner, tragically passed away at the age of 18 in 2018.
The family is planning a celebration of life that will be held later this summer. Any donations in Eddie’s name should be sent to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Wounded Warrior Project.