Pat and Roger Conant's Obituary
The Conant family is sad to announce the passing of our beloved Patricia Ann (Harrall) Conant and Roger Hazen Conant. Pat died peacefully at home on July 19, 2019 at the age of 87. Roger followed exactly three weeks later on August 9, 2019, at the age of 89. They were married for 67 years.
Pat was born in Drumright, Oklahoma to Jessie (Bryant) Harrall and Purnell Harrall on February 13, 1932. She was raised with four older brothers who have preceded her in death: Preston, James, Roger, and Bill. She was 1/32 Native American – a certified member of the Cherokee Nation. Valedictorian of her graduating class at Holyrood Rural High School in Kansas, Pat was one smart apple.
Roger was born in Mill Valley, California to Violet (Luff) Conant and Harold Conant on March 1st, 1930. Violet and Harold met in France during World War I, where Violet was stationed as a quartermaster in the British army’s women’s division. Roger was predeceased by his older sister June, his only sibling. In 1948, Roger joined the army and was a radio operator in the Korean war. He always had a knack for taking care of the important things.
Pat could light up any room with her warm smile and clever sense of humor, and she had a true gift for making all feel welcome and at home. She was very creative and enjoyed decorating, sewing, and embroidery. She had a delightful habit of making up songs and singing about whatever was going on at the time. She dearly loved her many friends, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and, most of all, Roger. In commemoration of their 50th wedding anniversary, Pat wrote this about the beginning of her life with Roger:
“Our courtship began in October of 1951 when we met at a USO dance at Ft. Riley, Kansas. Roger had returned from Korea and was sent to Ft. Riley with only 5 months remaining in the Army… He asked me to dance with him. While we were dancing, he asked me for a date the next Saturday night and I accepted. We met at the dances each week and Roger came to Salina on the weekends when he could get leave. Roger was discharged from the Army on March 11, 1952.
We packed everything we had into Roger’s ’48 Chevy and took off for Oklahoma on March 12th. We stopped at a jewelry store in Witchita Kansas and bought my rings (the ones I still wear) with Roger’s “mustering out” pay. I don’t think there was ever any formal proposal: we just knew a few weeks after meeting that someday we would be married. We were married in the Methodist parsonage in Drumright, Oklahoma on March 22, 1952.”
Roger always went the extra mile to help others, volunteering to mark a trail, take a leadership position, install a towel rack, or even properly arrange the chairs on the patio at the Point. He liked to ski, run, fish, and design gardens for the homes he and Pat shared. Whether flying a kite on the beach, being a scoutmaster for his sons’ boy scout troop, or riding a tiny motorcycle to work, Roger was both adventurous and fun. Marking the occasion of his and Pat’s 50the wedding anniversary, he said:
“For me, I think it was love at first sight. I would like to talk about how she has grown, become so much bigger as a person, and taught me to take the high road. Actually, I’m still not too good at taking the high road, but I am aware of it, and do consider it as an option…as you can see, it has been a great fifty years. We have loads of inside jokes and we love each other very much.”
Pat and Roger enjoyed traveling with their family and friends: a cabin at Russian River, tent and RV camping, cruises, and hotel vacations. One of Roger’s treasured possessions was a journal Pat kept during their vacations to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Canada, and New England. After retiring in Auburn, they met lots of new friends when they joined the Newcomers Club and the Placer Pacers, a Volksmarch club that led them on five and ten kilometer walks all over the country.
Pat and Roger are survived by their three children: Alan Conant, Keith Conant and Valerie Conant; their six grandchildren: Brandon Conant, Janelle Graf, Jolie Rogers, Maya Giannini, and Paul Giannini; and their six great-grandchildren. Pat and Roger lived their lives well and touched others in beautiful ways. They will be greatly missed.
Please join us at a memorial to celebrate Pat and Roger: Sunday, September 8th at 1:00, at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland.
In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations made to the club that so enriched Pat and Roger’s lives, the American Volkssport Association at: ava.org/donate.php.
What’s your fondest memory of Pat?
What’s a lesson you learned from Pat?
Share a story where Pat's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Pat you’ll never forget.
How did Pat make you smile?