Robert Conley was born on Jan. 21, 1947 at Cheverly, Maryland. His parents were lly and Mary Eileen (Becker) Conley. Robert had been employed with the railroad in Virginia and he worked as service officer for the Government and traveled from state to state. He also made guitars and violins for Gibson Guitars in Montana. Robert served two tours of duty in the Army during the Vietnam War and he was a lobbyist and ground breaker for the Vietnam War Memorial. He moved to Watkins in 1988 and was united in marriage to Janice (Walters) Kelly on March 18, 1989. Family was important to Robert and he especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.