Charles Kenneth Conley, 79, of Buda, passed away Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011, after a heroic fight against cancer. Memorial Services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at Buda United Methodist Church.
Ken was always a hero, and a gentle man. He loved to sit with visitors in Memory Lane Antiques, which he ran with his wife, Eileen Mary Eichberger, after taking the business over from his sister in the 1980s. He and Eileen were married Sept. 1, 1979.
He had wanted to move back to Texas after his many military jaunts, and came to Buda to take over Memory Lane Antiques from his sister, Dorothy Franks and her husband, Lawrence Franks.
Ken would talk to anyone in the store about his love of flying, his desire to travel to the wine regions of Europe, and his children and grandchildren.
Ken was a small-town boy, born Nov. 29, 1931 in Hallsville, Harrison County, Texas. His love of the country came out as he raised miniature donkeys, pampering them as he hand-fed them and showed them off to visitors. He also had a passion for fishing and hunting.
Besides seeing him in Memory Lane Antiques, Ken was also known as the man behind Budafest, serving for more than a decade as the man who registered hundreds of vendors each year.
Ken was a military man, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps. He first went into the military as an enlisted man, serving in Korea. He returned to the U.S., went through the Marine Corps Fighter Pilot program and then returned to Korea as a fighter pilot, and later serving as a pilot in VietNam. He also served as a military attaché in Jamaica.
Ken is fondly remembered by his two children, son James D. Conley of San Diego, CA., daughter Leigh Ann Conley Raley of Yucaipa, CA, and grandchildren Elodie Conley of San Diego, and Nathan and Jesse Raley of Yucaipa, and two stepsons, Matthew Enos of Austin and Mark Enos of California. His beloved nieces and nephews, Linda Chancellor of Houston, Kirk Faust of Goldthwaite, and Tim, Larry, Ron and Mark Ford were also considered “part of the family.”
The children remember traveling summers to go to “Camp Dad,” where Ken took them on many harrowing adventures. His famous words, no matter what the predicament? “It was the best thing that could have happened.”
Ken was predeceased by his parents, Ruby Armstrong Conley and J.H Conley, and his sister, Dorothy Franks.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Fund, in memory of Kenneth Conley, 875 North Randolph Street, Suite 225, Arlington, VA 22203. Donations can also be made online at http://www.nmcrs.org/donation2.html.
