BRENDAN MEAD CONNER

Brendan Mead Conner, 45, of La Grange Park, formerly of Morgan Park, died in his home on Nov. 16. The cause of death was an astrocytoma, an inoperable brain cancer, discovered in May, 2006. His family is very grateful to his doctors and their staffs at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, MD Anderson in Texas, and Loyola Hospital in Maywood for the superb medical treatment that they gave Brendan. Brendan was born on April 13, 1964, in Evanston, moved to Morgan Park in 1972, and graduated from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, at age 16. At age 9, Brendan was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia, and at age 14 underwent a very successful bone marrow transplant, with bone marrow given by his brother Robbin. This bone marrow transplant gave Brendan 28 years of remarkable, cancer-free health, until the discovery of his brain cancer in May, 2006. The Conner family remembers with deep gratitude Brendan's many Morgan Park friends, neighbors, and church members from the Morgan Park United Methodist Church who gave Brendan support and encouragement during this time. In Morgan Park, Brendan was known as a talented young organist. He began his organ studies with local teacher Debbie Williams, who remained a life-long friend. Brendan became church organist of a small, nearby church at age 12, and at age 14 gave his own organ recital. Brendan earned degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (BS 1985), University of Minnesota (MS 1992), and the University of Chicago (MBA 1998). Brendan later felt that one of his greatest accomplishments in life was the founding in 1998 of his own, very successful software consulting company, ConnerSoft, Inc., which he operated until Feb., 2008, when his illness and cancer treatment forced him to dissolve it. Brendan was an avid world and local traveler, traveling from India, Hawaii, and Florence to the Grand Canyon. He was a participant in clearing forest preserves of buck thorn and was also an enthusiastic photographer. No one was safe from Brendan's camera, not even the cicadas, which he found beautiful and fascinating. Brendan is survived by his wife, Mary, nee Leming; his brothers Robbin, of NY, and Gareth, of RI; his sisters, Maia, of Oak Park, IL, Gwenda, of CT, and Ariadne, of VA; his parents, Roger and Marsda Conner, of Oak Park, IL; one nephew and five nieces. Burial services will be held in New York State. There will be no services in Chicago at this time. Memorial gifts may be sent to Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Attn. Terri Dillon, Office of Development, 750 N. Lake Shore Dr., 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611. Checks may be made payable to the "Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute" to support research, www.braintumorinstitute.org, or to the "Cancer Care Support Fund" to assist cancer patients who cannot afford medication, www.cancer.northwestern.edu.