Irving B. Conklin Jr.

1935 - 2022

Irving B. Conklin, Jr.
Irving B. Conklin Jr., who lived in Ridgefield nearly all of his life,
died peacefully with his daughter by his side in Dublin, PA, Thursday morning June 23, 2022. He was 86 years old.
Mr. Conklin was born in Danbury Hospital on November 14.1935. He graduated from Ridgefield High School in 1953 and was characterized by his classmates and friends as "a fixture on Ramapoo Road, often seen driving a tractor, truck or bus…always seen and not always heard." His stomping grounds grew as Ridgefield grew. The rest of that characterization remained the same throughout his life. After receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut and an honorable discharge in 1963 from the United States Army as a hospital medic, he returned to Ridgefield where he lived full-time until 1991 and seasonally for many more years.
Mr. Conklin was employed by Schlumberger, Ltd in their Ridgefield offices for nearly 30 years. In the 1960's and 1970's he worked in the labs helping to develop some of the tools and applications that would make the company an industry leader. In the 1980's he indulged his passion for construction and became the Building Superintendent during the extensive renovation and expansion of their campus.
Irv was also very involved in the growth and development of his beloved hometown throughout the 1970's and into the 1980's. He served on the Planning and Zoning Commision in 1971 and by 1974 he was elected Chairman. Those were some very busy times in town when pressure for development was great. It was reported that "Irv was always so calm and quiet…while handling sometimes nasty and boisterous people with strength and great politeness at the same time." In partnership with friend Arthur Frattini Jr., he built some of the beautiful homes along North Street on land which was originally part of his family's Stonecrest Farm. Each new homeowner always received a full history lesson of Ridgefield and Stonecrest along with their home purchase! Artie and Irving went on to build several custom homes in Ridgefield, Redding and Bethel during the 1980's.
Irving was offered an early retirement from Schlumberger in 1990 and he took it! He bought an RV and hit the road with his wife Karen. They loved traveling the country together and logged many miles. Irving loved working on the farm, listening to music, skiing, fishing, and vegetable gardening. While traveling he rediscovered his love of reading, devouring novels and history books like potato chips! He also learned to play tennis allowing him many more hours of fun and socializing with Karen and their tennis team buddies. Traveling also allowed for new opportunites and new found passions for hot air ballooning and wood carving. As a result of those hobbies Irv and Karen wintered in Arizona for over a decade. By the time they decided to settle down in Florida they had visited 49 states. The ever elusive trip to Alaska finally happened in 2019; Irv and Karen are very proud to say they have visited each of our great 50 states!
He is survived by his wife Karen (Munkhoff) Conklin, their five daughters: Cheryl (Banks) Both of Newport RI; Sandy Banks-O'Brien of Naples FL; Wendy Banks-Pola of Ridgefield; Penny Banks of Cocoa, FL; and Kerry (Conklin) Hayes of Doylestown PA and his only son Todd B. Conklin of Charlestown RI. Irving has three sisters: Joan (Conklin) Cox and Barbara (Conklin) Seemann both predeceased and Elaine (Conklin) Couri of Ridgefield. He also is survived by nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren with whom he loved spending time.
The family is hosting a Celebration of Life at Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church on Thursday, July 14th at 11:00.
In lieu of flowers please donate to: Alzheimer's Association or Ridgefield Boys and Girls Club