Wilbur Conley

In Loving Memory

Wilbur D. Conley

Wilbur Conley passed away peacefully, at home with his immediate family, on the evening of January 16, 2020.  Wilbur and his family had been long term residents of Lincoln County,  Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs.

Wilbur was born in Riverside, CA on September 4, 1926.  He was the eldest son of Cliff and Francis Conley.  Shortly after birth, his family moved to Roswell, NM, where many important events in his life took place.  There, he went to school, and at the age of 13 or 14, drove trucks moving dirt for the construction of Walker Air Force Base.  This event was the first of many, in the life of a PATRIOT.  As soon as he was old enough, 17, he joined the Navy and saw action in the Pacific during the last part of WWII.  After the completion of WWII, he returned to Roswell and married Edna Ruth Hillger, March 05, 1947.  In 1949, he and Edna moved to Las Cruces where, in 1953, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Range Management from New Mexico State University.  After working for the BIA, the BLM and various power companies, Wilbur and Edna returned to Ruidoso in 1957, to stay.  For several years, Wilbur worked for Community Public Service. In 1972 he and his family started Conley’s Nursery, now owned by his son.   He loved tennis and to this day, a lot of his best friends were the people he met on the courts.  He loved birds, building model airplanes, fishing, and making brown plants green.

He is survived by the love of his life, Edna, and three children Doug and wife Vicki, Susan and husband Kenny, and Ted.  He had three grandchildren Doug, Shannon, and Rebecca and 4 great-grandchildren, Sage, Reed, Anna and Alex.   Wilbur was predeceased by his youngest son, Corky.

There will be a short graveside service at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Ruidoso, Saturday, Jan. 25 at 11:00 AM.  In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Lincoln County Humane Society.