Some men fi nd their greatest rewards in their careers, their passions or their pastimes. Conny Grahs was a man whose greatest successes, his proudest achievements, were always found in the family he loved most of all. He was a proud veteran, a loyal worker and a faithful friend, but more than anything, Conny was a loving husband, brother, father and grandfather, whose love lives on in them today.

Conny’s story began on a warm summer day in 1945, in the bustling city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Those were hopeful times in this country, as World War II was battling to its dramatic conclusion. On August 3, 1945, Conrad and Eleanor (Karl) Grahs found a reason to celebrate, with the birth of a baby son they named after his father.

Conrad, or “Conny” as he would always be known, was the fi fth of the family’s 10 children, joining older siblings Mary Ellen, Margaret, Bernie and Ted, and little siblings Joan, Greg, Sue, Janet and Geri. The family lived at 1239 Diamond NE in Grand Rapids, and was faithful members of the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, where they attended school and formed their lifelong faith.

Conny was clearly the “little darling” of the family, a very good boy with a sweet disposition. He played softball, was an altar boy at church, and was a Boy Scout, too, with his dad as a Scout leader. He was also a popular young boy with plenty of friends, including his lifelong pals Bob Franzak and Stan Mieras.

When he was attending Catholic Central High School, Conny also worked after school at Kroger grocery store. After he graduated in 1963, he began working at Miller Zylstra Lumber, driving the delivery truck.

In February of 1963, Conny’s dad died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving a wife and 10 children. Conny was just 17, but he helped out as much as he could, of course. Family was always foremost in his life. Soon, he’d have a family of his own to consider, too.

One night Conny went to a “Battle of the Bands” concert at Westgate Bowling Alley, where he ran into a beautiful young girl he’d known since grade school named Nancy Uzarski. Nancy always had a crush on Conny, and in grade school she used to have friends chase him down and hold him so she could kiss him! This time around, Conny did the chasing, and they soon began dating. The young couple was separated for a time when he was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. Conny served in Maryland at fi rst, and when he was on leave, he and Nancy were married, on May 18, 1968, at St. John Vianney Catholic Church. . The newlyweds lived in Maryland for a time, until he was sent to Germany. Conny served as a Tec Escort, in the hazardous chemicals unit, though thankfully he never served in Vietnam.

When he was discharged, he returned to his beloved bride, and to a growing family. The couple was blessed with fi ve wonderful daughters over the years, fi rst Terri, then Patti, Debbie, Laura, and Chrissy rounded out the happy family.

Conny and Nancy started out in a little apartment in Grand Rapids, and moved around as their family grew. They bought their fi rst home at 1446 Rathbone in Wyoming, then later at 3935 Wyoming Avenue, Pinecroft Avenue, and eventually to a home in Rockford. Later, in 2005, they moved to Oakleigh Woods Condo’s.

Conny worked very hard to provide for his family, fi rst at General Motors, then as a deliveryman for Dolly Madison Cakes. He soon started his own snack delivery business, Conrad Distributing, which he operated for a number of years. Eventually, Conny earned his real estate license, and became a Realtor for Beuhler Realty, where he worked for more than 15 years.

Conny was far from all work and no play, however. He had many passions, and many interests. He loved playing on his Cheeze Kurls softball team, and had an impressive collection of baseball caps, too. He was a huge sports fan, especially for Notre Dame football, and never missed a game, whether on TV, the radio, or even in person. Go Irish!

Most of all, Conny was a family man, who couldn’t have been prouder of his family. They had a cottage at Rainbow Lake in Baldwin and later Big Bass Lake in Irons for many years, where they formed so many wonderful memories with his daughters, friends, family and later grandkids. Fishing, cruising on the pontoon boat, or simply spending time together, those were some of Conny’s favorite moments, in a lifetime so full of them.

The family also took many vacations together, and went to Florida for Spring Break for many years. When the kids had grown, Conny and Nancy continued the Florida tradition, traveling with friends. Conny and Nancy went to Vegas, or to some of the Michigan casinos,.

Conny was so proud of his daughters’ many accomplishments, and so adoring and proud of his grandkids, too. They all called him “Bapa,” which he loved, and enjoyed every moment spent with them. Conny developed prostate cancer in 1998, and after a period of treatment, he battled it into remission. His health improved for a time, and life returned to normal. But during the fall of 2005, the cancer came back. On Thanksgiving Day of 2006, his health began to diminish. In July of 2007, Doctors found a tumor on his spine. He had surgery to remove it and recovered in time to walk his daughter Laura down the aisle on July 28, 2007, his main goal.

In November of 2007, his health continued to decline and it became apparent nothing more could be done. He was placed in Faith Hospice on November 20, 2007, and peacefully died there on Thanksgiving morning, November 22, with his wife and children at his side.

Conny loved life, a real people person.He will be remembered as a loving husband father and grandfather, brother and a friend to all. He was a generous, affectionate, loving, sociable and talkative person, with a wonderful sense of humor, a contagious laugh and loving smile. He always had a great story to tell. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Conny is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy Grahs (Uzarski), his children, Terri Grahs, Patti Grahs, Debbie (Patrick) McNamara, Laura (Patrick) Vance, Chrissy Grahs; his 8 grandchildren, Gaby Grahs, Danielle Grahs, Lauren and Conrad Phan, Ashley McNamara, Patrick, Keelin and Katie Vance; his brothers and sisters, Mary Ellen (Richard) Hefferan, Margaret (Tony) Switous, Bernard (Judy) Grahs, Joan (Ken) McKay, Sue (Jim) Krajewski, Janet (Roger) Miller, Geri (Jim) Jessup; his sister-in-law, Barbara Grahs; many nieces, nephews and many friends. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Ted and Greg Grahs. Conny was a loving and dedicated husband, father, brother and a friend to all. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. The Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 2510 Richmond NW on Monday afternoon at 1:00 PM (please meet at the church). Burial in Resurrection Cemetery. Relatives and friends may meet his family at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW on Saturday evening from 7-9 and on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM with a scripture and celebration life service at 7:00 PM. Contributions in his memory may be made to Faith Hospice. To sign Conny’s guestbook and to share your own memory of him, please visit his web page at www.lifestorynet.com