John H. Conklin
John H. Conklin, 90, of Canton, passed away on December 20, 2022, at his home while in the loving care of his family. His family will hold a private service in his honor. Burial will be in Jerusalem Cemetery.
John was born on June 11, 1932, in Morley, to the late John and Florence (Trombley) Conklin. He was the second oldest of 11 children. He attended Canton Central School until he reached the 10th grade. At that time, he left school to help his father run the family’s farm.
He joined the Army in 1953 and served stateside during the Korean War, primarily in Louisiana and Kansas. He was honorably discharged in 1955 at the rank of corporal. In recognition of his service, he was awarded, and proudly accepted, his high school diploma in 2019 at the age of 87.
John worked at various jobs during his career, including Mace’s Auto Shop, Martin’s Beer Plant, and the United States Post Office. He retired from Corning Inc. in 1993 after 27 years of service as a furnace technician. Every job he did was met with hard work and dedication.
He married Judy Hawn at the Gouverneur United Methodist Church on March 18, 1961. He affectionately referred to her as his “Elizabeth Taylor” and was so thankful for the care she gave him over their 61 years of marriage.
John is survived by his wife, Judy, sons John (Dawn) Conklin and Joe (Kathy) Conklin, and a daughter, Michele (Jeff) Hunt, all of Canton. Also surviving him are his seven grandchildren, Kate (Dillon) Huntley, Nikki (Joe) Trimm, Erin (Joe) DiTullio, Tyler (Erin) Hunt, Joe (Brigette) Conklin, Colleen Conklin, and Meghan Conklin, as well as a step-grandson, Ryan Grimshaw, and 11 great-grandchildren. His brothers James (Nancy) Conklin, Francis (Barbara) Conklin, Richard Conklin, and Gary (Brenda) Conklin also survive him.
He was predeceased by his sisters, Shirley Elliott, Katherine Karpowich, Beverly O’Brien, Jean Gemmill, Theresa Faucher, and Donna Hosley.
John enjoyed going to garage sales, gardening, fishing, hunting, making puzzles, and traveling to the ocean for family vacations. He liked to go out for rides in his truck and visit with old friends. His favorite thing of all was being “Bompy” to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His family was everything to him and he never failed to let others know how proud he was of his family. He loved to tell stories and make people laugh with his jokes.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.