Alice Cochran Conard

Amazing what you can do with your life in 99 years.

Alice Cochran Conard

Alice Cochran Conard, 99 years of age, passed away Friday, December 21, 2007, at the Woodhaven Care Center in Ellinwood, KS. She was born May 2, 1908 at Goodwin, Oklahoma, the daughter of Alva W. and Verna May Hadley Cochran. The family moved to Rice, Kansas, when Alice was six months old. She was baptized September 18, 1921, at the Rice, KS Methodist Episcopal Church.

Alice was a teacher and a minister's wife. She was a graduate of Concordia High School and Kansas State Teachers College (later Emporia State University). She taught in the Cloud County rural schools and in Esbon, Hill City, and Norton before going to Great Bend in 1944.

She was married to the Rev. Arlyn E. Conard on November 22, 1962, in Great Bend, KS. He died November 21, 1980. She was also preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Hal; a sister, Dorothy Claycamp and her husband, Glenn; and by a niece, Shirley Holechek.

She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Great Bend, the United Methodist Women, NRTA division of AARP, EHU units, and Utopian Club. She had life memberships in the American Association of University Women, Delta Kappa Gamma, Kansas Retired School Personnel Association, and ESU Alumni Association. At one time or another, she served as president for most of these organizations.

Her interests and hobbies included reading, crafts, and travel. Her travels included Canada, Mexico, the South Sea Islands, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Greece, Panama, many European counties, and most of the states in the United States.

She is survived by a step-son, Mark Conard, and his wife, Joyce, of Hutchinson, KS; a foster daughter, Edna Sipp, and her husband, Cliff, of Pleasanton, NE; three grandchildren: Jonathan Conard and his wife, Melissa, of Junction City, KS; Andrew Conard and his wife, Nicole, of Overland Park, KS; and Kristin Conard of Edison, NJ; a great granddaughter, Katie Aspen Conard, of Junction City, KS; a sister-in-law, Eldora Conard, of Timken, KS; a nephew, Kenneth Claycamp, and his wife, Joleen, of Cuba, KS; three nieces: Lois Boettcher and her husband, Norm, of Solomon, KS; Loretta Cudney and her husband, Dave, of Riverside, CA; and Verla Hill and her husband, Dan, of Scottsbluff, NE; and by many great nieces and great nephews.

Great Aunt Alice

My great Aunt Alice (actually great great, I think) died last night. She was 99 years old. She would have been 100 in May. I knew she wouldn't last much longer, but it's still a bit of a shock. I have so many memories of visiting her house and her showing off all the interesting things she'd picked up on her travels. I remember even just 10 or 15 years ago she was still going on African safaris and the like. She was always such a strong woman.

In May of 1908, here are some of the major events from Wiki:


* May 10 - Mother's Day is observed for the first time (Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia).
* May 13 - Young Turks start revolution in the Ottoman Empire, and force sultan Abdul Hamid II to adhere to the constitution of 1876.
* May 24 - Empire Day is accepted as the traditional formation date of the 1st Arundel (Earl of Arundel's) Own Scout Group, although Scouting was probably active in Arundel prior to this date.
* May 26 - At Masjid-al-Salaman in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made. The rights to the resource are quickly acquired by the United Kingdom.


Other things that happened that year:

* British suffragettes begin a campaign for female suffrage.
* Bureau of Investigation, forerunner of the FBI, is founded.
* Change of Emperor of Qing Dynasty from Guangxu Emperor of China (1875-1908) to Henry Puyi (1909-1911).