John Hunter Conley

1935 - 2025

John Hunter Conley

March 27, 1935 - June 18, 2025

John Hunter Conley, a lifelong Omahan who served the community through his military service, work at a public utilities company and as an elected natural resource board member, died Wednesday, June 18, 2025, a few months after turning 90.

Forever a family man, he prioritized quality time with his wife, three sons and daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren, and loved seeing his eleven great-grandchildren when they visited. In recent years, a "Nice to see you, Grandpa" greeting garnered his cheeky and humble reply, "It's nice to be seen!" He enjoyed conversation while playing poker with friends (betting only nickels and dimes), watching football and playing bridge with other couples.

He was an avid tinkerer and fix-it guy, with a vast knowledge of how things worked in the world and around the house. His beloved workshop held tools of every shape, size and purpose, while he kept thousands of screws and hundreds of lumber pieces for any just-in-case job in the future.

Conley was born on March 27, 1935, to John and Ellen Conley, and grew up in the heart of North Omaha, near 36th and Pinkney Streets. As a boy, he would travel with his friends throughout the city on the streetcar trolleys, transferring from line to line to see how far they could get. But they often made sure to return to the Military Theater for the Saturday afternoon movie, and then walked home afterward.

Conley graduated from Benson High School in 1953 and attended Iowa State University, where he received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and met his future wife, Margaret (Peg) Hellner.

In 1956, following the late Christmas Eve service at Dundee Presbyterian Church, Conley proposed to Peg with a ring they had picked out together. They married the next year, on August 10, 1957. The couple traveled for a few years, living in New Jersey and Texas as Conley was on active duty in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and later, the Army Reserve.

They returned to their hometown of Omaha in 1960, when Conley began working for Metropolitan Utilities District as an engineer, where he retired nearly 40 years later. In his retirement, he ran for a seat on the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District Board and won five consecutive terms starting in 1998, serving a total of two decades the majority as treasurer.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Peg Conley; his sons Jeff Conley (Patty) of Simpsonville, S.C., Steve Conley (Diane) of Overland Park, Kan., and Bill Conley (Silvia) of Omaha, Neb.; grandchildren Matt, Danny, Tim, Alison, Alia and Drew and eleven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, JoEllen Elliott.

The funeral will be held Monday, June 30 at 11 a.m. at Presbyterian Church of the Cross, 1517 S 114th St., Omaha, with a private burial at Omaha National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to Presbyterian Church of the Cross or a charity of your choice.