Louis Bernard Conkle, age 92, died peacefully at his home in Marion on Thursday, May 30, 2013.
He was born in Kenton, Ohio, on August 30, 1920, to Lyman Joseph Conkle and Marie Kraft Conkle.
Following the death of his father when Louis was less than a year old, he and his older brother, Allan J. Conkle, were raised by their widowed mother. As a young boy, Louis contracted tuberculosis of the bone, which left him with one leg shorter than the other, but he never complained about his lifelong disability, and he went on to lead a long, successful, and rewarding life.
A proud member of the Kenton High School Class of 1937, Louis attended the Ohio State University and the Ohio State University College of Law, earning the degree of Juris Doctor in 1943. After law school, he moved to Marion. On October 1, 1943, he began his legal career as an associate of Howard F. Guthery. Louis practiced law for well over half a century. His partners included John S. Stuckey, James A. Harris, and Douglas E. Ebert. A meticulous lawyer with a keen legal mind, Louis’s specialties included probate, real estate, and banking. He was a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and a member and past president of the Marion County Bar Association, which honored him in 2008 for 65 years as a member of the bar.
During the course of his career, Louis was active in community affairs. He served as president of the Y.M.C.A. Board of Directors, the Y Men’s Service Club, the Town and Country Kiwanis Club, and the Marion Community Chest (now United Way). In addition, he was chairman of the Marion County Chapter of the American Red Cross, chairman of the Marion County Central Committee of the Republican Party, and a trustee of the Marion County Historical Society. During World War II, he served as chairman of the local Rationing Board, and in the early 1950s he served for three years on the Marion City Council.
On July 1, 1944, shortly after moving to Marion, Louis married the former Berniece Elizabeth Oliver. Their marriage would last more than 66 years, ending only with Berniece’s death on December 24, 2010. They had a closely knit family of four children, which ultimately grew to include 11 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. For the last decade of Berniece’s life, Louis served as her caregiver, allowing her to live at home until her death, just as he himself would do with the help of loved ones.
Louis’s survivors include his children, Judith (Keith) Roberts, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Cynthia (Henry) Antone, of Marion, Ohio, Daniel (Deborah) Conkle, of Bloomington, Indiana, and James (Sarah) Conkle, of Missoula, Montana, as well as all of his 11 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 7, 2013, and from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 8, 2013, at the Gunder/Hall & Folk Funeral Directors, 347 West Center Street, Marion. Services will be held 11a.m. at Gunder/Hall & Folk Funeral Directors on Saturday, June 8, 2013.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army, 317 West Church Street, Marion, Ohio 43302; the Marion County Chapter of the American Red Cross, 1849 Summerset Drive, Marion, Ohio 43302; or the Marion County Historical Society, 169 East Church Street, Marion, Ohio 43302. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.gunderhallandfolk.com.
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