Dean Conder

HONORABLE DEAN EARL CONDER 1919-2011 Judge Dean Earl Conder passed away on March 21, 2011. He was born the son of Earl and Ellen Conder on December 11, 1919, at the Lehi Hospital, Utah. He grew up in Provo, Utah where his father worked for the Provo City Engineering Department. He attended Provo High School and BYU where he participated in school debate. Dean graduated from the Y in 1941 and started law school at the University of Utah until he was called up for military duty in February 1942. As a member of The Greatest Generation he helped in the planning of D-day for General Dwight D. Eisenhower. When the war in Europe ended, his unit was preparing to be assigned to the Pacific. During this break he took a drive in the English countryside where he saw a beautiful young lady riding her bicycle. They dated for a month and he asked her to marry him. She agreed and he married Eileen Banks in Stoke-on-Trent, England on August 23, 1945. While on their honeymoon, Dean got orders that his unit was returning to the US within a week. He sailed on the Queen Mary with 21,000 other GIs returning to the US and was discharged from the Army. He returned to the University of Utah Law School but Eileen could not join him until March of 1946. Four wonderful children were born from this marriage. Robert (Cindy) Conder, Karen (Howard) Smith, Jeff (Shannon) Conder and Alan (Lisa) Conder. He loved each of them along with his 13 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. He and Eileen felt pride and great love for each other, their children and grandchildren. However, his greatest love was always his wonderful wife and all that she meant to him. Dean graduated from the University of Utah law school and he and Arthur Nielsen formed the law office of Nielsen & Conder which grew to include many other lawyers. He was actively engaged in the practice of law until he was appointed as a District Court judge by Governor Calvin Rampton and served in that capacity from July 1976 until he retired June 1986. The Utah State Bar named him Judge of the Year in 1986. Dean taught a class in Business Law at the University of Utah for 25 years and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in 1981 by the College of Business at the University of Utah. He has always been an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in many capacities. He served as a High Priest, the Bishop of a University Student Ward and as a member of the High Council. He has been active in his residential ward ever since. His experience as a bishop in a student ward at the University of Utah was one of the highlights of his lifetime. A viewing will be held Sunday, March 27th, 6 to 8 PM at the Russon Brothers Mortuary (255 South 200 East). Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Monday March 28th at the Foothill 7th Ward (2214 E Roosevelt Avenue, SLC) with a viewing 1 hour prior to service. Interment at Salt Lake City cemetery, 4th Ave & N Street. Online guestbook at www.russonmortuary.com