Oscar Weir Conner III MD

Oscar Weir Conner III, MD, died July 24, 2024, in Madison, MS. A native of Jackson, MS, he was the son of the late Alma Bufkin Conner and Oscar Weir Conner, Jr. He was educated in Jackson public schools, graduated with honors from Millsaps College, and was a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Conner completed his pediatric residency training at Charity Hospital of Louisiana in New Orleans and the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. While at Charity, he met his future wife, Betty Betts Conner. and, after marrying in 1955, the newlyweds relocated to Cheyenne, WY, and later Atlanta, GA, in fulfillment of his two-year government service obligation in the Public Health Service.
During his 25 years of general pediatrics practice with Children's Medical Group in Jackson, Dr. Conner developed an intense interest in the emerging field of pediatric learning disabilities. Recognizing the need for additional training to diagnose and plan treatment for his patients with learning differences, Dr. Conner completed a fellowship in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at the Institute for Child Development in Hackensack, NJ, in 1983 and returned to Jackson to open the Center for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, the first clinic of its kind in Mississippi. In 1987, Weir and Betts embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, moving overseas when Weir was recruited as civilian Chief and Developmental Pediatrician of the US Army's multi-disciplinary developmental center in Augsburg, Germany, serving dependents of US personnel stationed in Bavaria. Upon their return to Mississippi in 1990, the Conners moved to their small farm in northern Madison County where Weir enjoyed semi-retirement tending the couple's extensive garden and a small herd of cattle. Dr. Conner continued to work part-time as consultant for the State of Mississippi in the Department of Rehabilitation Services and in the Division of Medicaid, for Health Systems of Mississippi, and for Unicare/Cost Care, Inc. until May 2000.
Dr. Conner was a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and was a member of numerous medical associations. He held staff appointments at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Medical Center, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center as Clinical Instructor in Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. While completing his fellowship, he held staff appointments at Hackensack Medical Center and the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey. He served on the Board of the Heritage School in Ridgeland, MS.
A faithful churchman and longtime communicant of St. James' Episcopal Church in Jackson, Weir was a verger, choir member, and lay reader. He was elected to the Diocesan Standing Committee and served as Junior and Senior Warden at St. James'. He served on numerous parish committees, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and Stewpot Community Services, and was a graduate of Education for Ministry. Weir also found fulfillment in the Cursillo renewal movement of the Episcopal Church, attending Cursillo 10 and serving on staff for subsequent events.
Weir's hobbies were many. He began singing choral music in high school with the Millsaps College Singers and continued this interest all his life. Anglican music and liturgy was very important to him and whenever possible the Conners attended choral services in cathedrals when traveling in the United Kingdom and Europe. In his later years, Weir took pleasure in learning new languages and enjoyed the challenge of communicating in foreign countries. He was a talented photographer and small craft sailor, and was fascinated by the evolution of personal computers and mobile telephones. His near-insatiable desire to understand the mechanics of everyday and complex objects enabled Weir to develop many technical skills including bricklaying, carpentry, woodworking, welding, and automobile mechanics. On any given day, he could be found chainsawing fallen trees, restoring vintage Mercedes Benzes, or repairing a broken water main. His crowning home improvement project remains the 6-foot tall brick wall he built, single-handedly, to enclose the back yard of the family home in the 1960s.
Weir had an encyclopedic knowledge of all manner of esoterica, and delighted in using "twenty dollar words" in the course of a conversation. He had a deep bench of aphorisms that he hauled out when called upon (or not) to dispense wisdom. Weir was a collector, to put it generously, yet he had an uncanny ability to locate lost items in the stacks of detritus that accumulated in his study, his workshop, and on his desktop. Most notably, however, Weir persevered in setback after setback, especially in the twilight of his life. We lost count of our father's numerous near-death experiences, any of which, by all rights, should have ended his life. We can only speculate that his will to live was driven by his devotion to his dear Betts, in assuring that he saw her through to the end of her life.
In addition to his wife and best friend, Betts, he was preceded in death by his brother, the Rt. Rev. Dr. George W. Conner, and granddaughter, Rue Casey. He is survived by his daughters, Amy Conner, Erin Fischer (Michael), Maggie Wender (David), and Kathleen Strickland (Jim); grandchildren Fionn Casey (Melanie), Hayley Fitzgerald (Ryan), Conner Reeves (Erica), Mollie Oller (Josh), Sarah Jane Strickland, and Ivey Strickland; and great-grandchildren Audrey Marrero, Alina Ward, Margot Reeves, Nell Reeves, and Betts Oller.
The family wishes to express heartfelt appreciation to Beverly Luckett for her devotion to the care of our father, and to D.D. Fortune, RN, Heart of Hospice. The family further wishes to extend our deepest gratitude to the kind, caring, and immensely competent nursing and dietary staff at St. Catherine's Village Siena Center for their consistent personal efforts on our beloved father's behalf, especially during his last months. We felt their love and, more importantly, so did he.
Services will be held Thursday, August 15, at St. James' Episcopal Church, Jackson, with visitation at 12:30 and a memorial service at 2:00. Interment will follow immediately at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. James' Episcopal Church, Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, or Children's of Mississippi/Batson Hospital for Children.