John E. Conneran

John Edward Conneran , age 59, of Grand Forks, passed away on Sunday, February 3, 2013 at the Altru Hospital of Grand Forks. John E. Conneran was born July 21, 1953 in Crookston, MN, the son of Claire (Dubuque) Conneran and the late Lester John Conneran. He grew up and attended school in Fisher, graduating from Fisher High School in 1971. He then attended the University of Minnesota Crookston, and later graduated from Bemidji State. In 1975 he began working for Northwestern Bell, now Century Link, where he was currently working. He was united in marriage to Linda Bodensteiner on June 9, 1984 in Walhalla, ND. Following their marriage, the couple made their home in Grand Forks. He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church. He was an avid sports fan. He loved the Twins, Notre Dame, Minnesota Wild, UND Sioux, Minnesota Vikings and whoever was playing the Packers. He loved golfing with his family and friends and was very competitive. He had the most unique pre-swing routine. He also enjoyed playing racquetball every day with his buddies. John loved watching and teaching his kids how to play baseball, basketball, football, volleyball, tennis, cross country and golf. He was their biggest fan and usually had many words of encouragement and tips on improvement. He coached each one of them in different sports. He coached Cal Ripken baseball for many years and enjoyed taking the all-stars to state tournaments. He also served one term as commissioner of Cal Ripken baseball in Grand Forks. John's greatest passions in life were his wife and children. He proudly watched his kids growing up and was so proud to see his son-in-law Cory and soon to be son-in-law Patrick fit right in with the family. John and Linda were life-long companions and spent every moment away from work together. They enjoyed their annual trip to Las Vegas, playing card games, and spending as much time as they could with their children. He loved his wife and often talked about her beauty and caring nature. He called her his perfect match. He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Linda of Grand Forks, ND, children: Rachael (Cory) Oehlke, Wadena, MN, Timothy Conneran, Grand Forks, ND, Brittany Conneran and her fiancé Patrick Such, Grafton, ND, Joseph Conneran, Grand Forks, ND, mother Claire Conneran, Crookston, MN, sisters: Mary Jo (Lanny) Anderson, Vadnais Heights, MN, Jeanne Conneran, Crookston, MN, Kathy (Bob) Altringer, Crookston, MN, Sue (Gary) Menard, Crookston, MN, mother-in-law Bernice Bodensteiner, Grand Forks, ND, brothers-in-law: John (Bonnie) Bodensteiner, Danville, IL and Ron (Kim) Bodensteiner, Fosston, MN, sisters-in-law: Jolean (Neil) Pederson, Fargo, ND, Jean (Stan) Bartow, Laverne, OK, Ellen (Monte) Sipma, Minot, ND, Janice (Jim) Halvorson, Wahpeton, ND, Maureen (Don) Larrabee, Thompson, ND, Carol (Mark) Egeland, Fisher, MN, as well as many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Lester John, sister, Paulette Hartlich and brother-in-law Rick Hartlich, niece Tracy Altringer, nephew Bill Hartlich, father-in-law Joseph Bodensteiner, and great nephew, Lucas Bartow. **In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the family and will be designated towards a baseball scholarship in John's name. Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 1:00 P.M. at Holy Family Catholic Church. Visitation will be Wednesday from 5-7:30 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:30 P.M. at the Amundson Funeral Home. Friends may also call at the church for one hour prior to the service. An online guestbook is available at: www.amundsonfuneralhome.com