Bert Conway
Robert Earl Conway passed away peacefully on Oct. 16, 2008, after a three-year battle with cancer.
Bob was born in Indianapolis on May 9, 1938, the second child of Earl H. and Edith B. Conway. He served as student body president of Shortridge High School and attended Indiana University, where he made the football team as a walk-on, and earned his degree in industrial engineering in 1961.
He married Martha Jane Litherland on June 16, 1962, and the 31-year union gave him his two children. In 1976, in search of a better place to raise his family, Bob moved to Whitefish, where he was a member of Whitefish Rotary, Big Mountain Ski Foundation, and the board of Glacier Symphony and Chorale. He enjoyed watching his children grow and pursued his love of anything to do with the outdoors.
On May 9, 2002, he married Marguerite Lincoln in a Hawaiian ocean side wedding.
Bob's varied hobbies made him an interesting person. He competed in field trials with the Labrador retrievers he raised and trained. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, hiking, time on his sailboat, golfing, biking, skiing, riding horses, kayaking, scuba diving and, most of all, he enjoyed flying his plane.
Bob's expert photography chronicled the lives and achievements of his grandchildren. He was an avid bird watcher who won "Best of Show" for one of his many bird photographs. He was a member and past president of the Five Valley Audubon Society.
He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and sister Alice Hannon, of Fort Wayne, Ind.
He is survived by his wife Marg, of Missoula; son Bryan Conway, wife Shannon and children Shelby and Logan, of Salem, Ore.; daughter Cathy Ingraham, husband Michael and children Sida, Tate, Audrey, Ashleigh and Johnny, of Seattle, Wash.; brother-in-law Grant Lincoln, wife Jennifer and children Kendell and Jack, of Missoula; brother-in-law Ladd Lincoln, wife Vicki and children Kaden and Karis, of Missoula; and sister-in-law Maureen "Muffy" Bullock, husband Gary and children Hank and Kate, of Superior.
A celebration of Bob's life will be held Friday, Oct. 24, at 3 p.m. in Missoula. E-mail kmbullock@blackfoot.net for directions.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Montana Cancer Center Fund, c/o St. Patrick Hospital, Box 4587, Missoula MT 59801.