Jim E. Conrod

James (Jim) E. Conrod went to be with the Lord on April 7, 2023, at the age of 68, after battling cancer for

several months. He left his temporary earthly home surrounded by the family he deeply loved, and now he is

rejoicing with loved ones who preceded him in his eternal home forever. Jim was born in Oak Park, Illinois in

1954 to two loving parents, James and Barbara Conrod.

In 1978, Jim married his wife, Lori, who has always been by his side and faithfully cared for him throughout his

battle with cancer. Jim, who is affectionately called “Grampy” by his grandchildren, was the life of the party at

family gatherings. He embraced life with humor and enjoyed engaging those around him with a good story.

We never grew tired of hearing the same stories over and over again because of the way only he could tell

them. Even if you had heard his joke before, you always ended up laughing because of his infectious

enthusiasm. It didn’t matter who you were, if you were around Jim for any length of time, you would end up

smiling. There was also a sensitive side to him that was tender and loving. He did not like to see people upset

or crying, so he always did his best to try and fix things. He was a selfless person, and his heart for people was

a gift from God. He had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person right at that

moment.

Jim was always a handyman. It seems there was nothing he couldn’t do if he just put his mind to it. If he

didn’t know the answer, he would figure it out. As a young boy, he had boundless energy, and even as a

grown man he had trouble sitting still and liked to be busy with one project or another. He enjoyed

construction so much that he and Lori built three of their own houses. Shortly before his passing, he helped

his son-in-law, Nathan, build a house for his family. His friends and family knew that he’d be right there by

their side any time they needed help. He also had a great love for volleyball, Neil Diamond music, fast cars,

classic cars, western movies, meat and potatoes, and Lori’s German chocolate cake!

Jim worked for many years for Brudi Equipment in Kelso and Bolzoni in Illinois. He retired from Three Rivers

Christian School and Campus Towers in Longview.

Jim is survived by his wife Lori; two daughters Olivia (Aaron) Murphy of LaCenter and Hayley (Nathan) Takko of

Longview; grandson Cameron Murphy, granddaughters Jordayn Murphy, Grace Takko, and Ella Takko; father

James H. Conrod (stepmother Lois) of Longview; brother Dan Conrod of Longview; sisters Becky (Dave) Mast

of Longview and Shari (Mac) Teats of Richland, WA. He was preceded in death by his mother Barbara Conrod

and his brother Paul Conrod.

His words we remember are this: “We have to laugh or else we’d be crying.” It’ll take time, but we promise

we’ll keep on laughing for you, dad. You will remain in our hearts forever. We love you!

A celebration of life service will be held at Northlake Church in Longview, WA on April 22 at 1:00 p.m. The

service will also be live-streamed on Northlake Church Longview YouTube page.

If desired, memorial gifts can be made to Campus Towers building fund or Three Rivers Christian School.