Jesse Norman Conover

OAK RIDGE — Mr. Jesse Norman Conover, 89, passed away Tuesday, August 14, 2007.

A graveside service will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday August 19, at Oak Ridge United Methodist Church Cemetery.

A native of Whitehouse, N.J., Mr. Conover was born on October 20, 1917, the son of the late Jesse and Edna Stillwell Conover. He was a graduate of Rutgers University.

In 1940 he enlisted in the U.S. Army, 112th Field Artillery Unit at Fort Bragg, N.C., and in 1942 he received his pilot's wings at the Army Air Forces Gulf Coast Training Center. He flew combat missions in Europe and the Middle East, and also served with the 16th Photo Squadron, flying reconnaissance missions before and after combat. Following the war he obtained his commercial pilot's license, and served in the Air Force Reserve until 1958. He was a member of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, as well as the Oak Ridge United Methodist Church..

His working career spanned employment at American Cyanamide Company in New York, N.Y., and he was an engineer at WI Anderson and Banner-Trulove in Greensboro, N.C. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 62 years, Nancy Elizabeth Cheek Conover, and sister Ruth Conover Barber.

Surviving are his daughters Judith E. Conover, Anna L. Conover, and Jessica C. Schollaert, and her husband, Gie, grandchildren Michael Deal, and his wife Traci, Jenny Lane, Richard Deal, Laura Edwards, Steffen Schollaert, Kellen Schollaert, and Jess Evan Schollaert, great grandchildren Gavin Lane, Lane Deal, and Hallie Deal, as well as loved ones Evelyn Barber, Vestal Palmer, Beverly Barber Wolfe, and Keith Gauthier.

Remember Jesse Norman as a gentleman, one with a generous spiritual and loving nature, a gentle man who adored his family and has left them forever grateful for his examples of honesty, integrity, and intellectual wit. Those qualities will always remain a part of his legacy for generations. His family and friends consider it a privilege to have been a part of his life. He was a precious gift to us all and will be missed forever.

The family wishes to thank Rev. Michael Kurtz and Rev. Karen Kurtz for their friendship and faithful visits.

The family will receive friends following the graveside service in the church fellowship hall.

Memorial donations may be made to Oak Ridge United Methodist Church, 2424 Oak Ridge Road, Oak Ridge, NC 27310.

Forbis & Dick Brooke Chapel is serving the Conover family, and condolences may be offered at www.forbisanddick.com.