Conor B. Hughes

Conor Barbezat Hughes, 34, passed away unexpectedly on February 2, 2024 at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Conor was born April 19, 1989 to James W. Hughes and Debra A. Barbezat in Northhampton, Massachusetts. He attended school in Waterville, Maine. Conor was an avid musician, learning violin in school, and African drumming from a master African drummer. He then continued to teach himself to play drums, guitar and mandolin. While attending Waterville High School he was a two-time member of the State Champion Waterville Science Olympiad team and loved playing drums with his rock band. Conor was very active in the Alfond Youth and Community Center in Waterville, where he earned his black belt in Hen Sen Ryu Karate with Club Naha. He earned his B.A. in Economics with Honors at The University of Chicago and was on the verge of receiving his Ph.D in Economics from The University of Minnesota. At each stage of his life he made many lifelong friends.
After graduating from Chicago he worked at Cornerstone Research in Menlo Park California, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Conor is survived by his mother Debra Barbezat of Falmouth Foreside, Maine; father and stepmother James and Rhonda Hughes of Fredericksburg Texas; step-sister Ashley Smith and her husband Jimmy Ngo of Firestone, Colorado; step-brother Clayton Smith and his wife Rebecca Smith of Fredericksburg, Texas; uncle John Hughes and family of Golden Valley, Minnesota; uncle John Barbezat and family of Yonkers, New York. Conor is also survived by his many friends all over the world who he loved and they in turn loved him deeply.
Conor is preceded in death by his grandparents Maurice and Anna Barbezat of Yonkers, New York; grandparents John and Betty Hughes of Ormond, Beach Florida.
Conor was buried beside his beloved grandparents February 8, 2024 in private services at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Yonkers, New York.
Memorials may be made to the Alfond Youth and Community Center, 126 North St., Waterville, ME 04901.