William J. Conley Ii

Bill Conley died Monday morning, February 21st following a long illness. Bill was born May 28th, 1937 at Fort Warren near Cheyenne, Wyoming. His father, William, was a career Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army. As a child Bill moved around the world with his dad and mother, Eleanor. Among the places he lived; Owensville, Mo., Minneapolis, Mn., San Antonio, Tx., Yokohama, Japan and College Park, Ga.
As a youth Bill was active in scouting, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. As an adult he served as a long-time Scoutmaster in Hampton, Virginia. Bill graduated in 1955 from College Park High School, where he played football on the team that competed for a Georgia State Championship in Valdosta. In 1959 he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and the Naval R.O.T.C. program. After graduation Bill served two years in the U.S. Navy as a Lt. (j.g.) In 1961 Bill married Patricia; they shared nearly 48 years together until her death in 2009. Early in his career, Bill combined his love of the sea and his engineering skills into a job helping design and test nuclear-powered ships for the Navy at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Among the ships Bill helped develop were the Los Angeles class fast-attack submarines and the California class guided missile cruisers. While working at Newport News Shipbuilding, Bill earned his Professional Engineering designation and an M.B.A. from The George Washington University. In 1974, Bill took his expertise in power systems to Lockwood Greene Engineering in Atlanta, where he was named manager of the mechanical engineering department a short time later. During his time at Lockwood Greene he worked on projects around the world. In addition, he mentored many young engineers who went on to develop outstanding careers of their own. Before retiring in 2002, Bill managed the Seattle, Washington office of Lockwood Greene. Bill was honored by the Atlanta Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as the Engineer of the Year for his professional achievements. Bill and his late-wife Pat were devoted members of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Doraville and later Living Grace Lutheran Church in Tucker. They were also music lovers and long-time season ticket subscribers to the Atlanta Opera. When Bill wasn’t working or spending time with his family he loved to sail. He raced sailboats on Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and Lake Lanier outside Atlanta. Bill is survived by his daughter Lyn Conley, son Joe Conley, and Joe’s wife Lisa. A visitation will be held Thursday evening 5:30pm till 8:30pm at A.S. Turner & Sons in Decatur. A funeral service will be held Saturday at 11:00am at Living Grace Lutheran Church in Tucker. Instead of flowers, please consider a donation to Living Grace or the Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. A. S. Turner & Sons


Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033